Remaining MV Hondius passengers to travel to Netherlands after Australia flight canceled

All remaining passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak will travel to the Netherlands after a planned Australian repatriation flight was canceled, Spain's health minister said Monday.

Speaking in Tenerife, Health Minister Monica Garcia said authorities had initially expected two repatriation flights, one to Australia and another to the Netherlands, but the Australian aircraft could not arrive before the operational deadline of 7 pm local time (1700GMT).

“As a result, the Netherlands flight will also take the citizens who were supposed to travel on the Australian flight,” Garcia said.

She said 54 people remained aboard the vessel, of whom 22 were expected to disembark, while 32 others would stay on the ship and depart for the Netherlands later in the day with the expected flight.

Later, in a post on the US social media platform X, the minister updated the figures, saying that of the 54 people remaining aboard the ship, 28 would disembark in the Canary Islands later Monday while 26 would remain on board for the journey to the Netherlands.

According to Spanish authorities, only six passengers remain among those still aboard — four Australians, one British national, and one New Zealander — with the rest comprising crew members of multiple nationalities.

Garcia said the ship completed refueling operations Monday morning and was undergoing provisioning ahead of departure.

“Finally, when the ship leaves port and the plane departs, we will begin disinfection work at the port in accordance with established protocols,” she said.

Garcia also said the 14 Spanish nationals quarantined at Madrid’s Gomez Ulla hospital were “doing well,” and that PCR test results conducted on them were expected later Monday to determine whether any had been infected.

French authorities earlier confirmed a positive hantavirus case involving a passenger evacuated from the ship, while US authorities also reported a passenger with mild symptoms and a “doubtfully positive” result, Garcia said.

Garcia said the appearance of additional positive cases was not unexpected given the disease’s incubation period, which can last up to 42 days.

“Over those days, symptoms can appear,” she said, adding that some passengers may later develop symptoms or test positive despite initially appearing healthy.

She also defended the epidemiological screening carried out aboard the ship, saying authorities had treated contacts “with all security measures as if they were cases,” and stressed that Spain was “prepared for all scenarios.”

Garcia defended Spain’s handling of the operation, saying authorities had taken “all necessary measures” to break possible chains of transmission and were coordinating with 23 countries involved in monitoring passengers and contacts linked to the outbreak.

Separately, the European Commission said the risk posed by hantavirus to the wider public in Europe remains low, citing the latest assessment by the World Health Organization.

EU Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova told reporters in Brussels that guarding public health remains the commission’s “number one priority,” adding that EU institutions are “working around the clock” to coordinate a European response.

She also confirmed that four repatriation flights for EU citizens took place over the weekend under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Hantavirus is a rare disease usually transmitted through infected rodents or their droppings, though the strain responsible for this outbreak, Andes virus, can also spread between humans with prolonged close contact, often in enclosed settings.