Earlier today (July 23) Jet2 cancelled all flights out to Rhodes and they have now been followed by the Tui Group and Thomas Cook.
Tui has stopped all flights and holidays up until Tuesday, July 25, whilst Thomas Cook has stopped them in areas most affected by the wildfire up until Monday, July 31.
EasyJet said flights were operating as normal, but package holidays to the island were cancelled until Wednesday (July 26).
We are closely monitoring the fires & evacuations in Rhodes, Greece.
British nationals affected should follow advice of the emergency services. Staff are available to provide consular support 24/7.
Our travel advice gives info for British nationals:https://t.co/uhRrPjsIln https://t.co/IcI77zC1ar
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) July 22, 2023
Rhodes has been battling wildfires fanned by strong winds since Tuesday (July 18), as Europe deals with a challenging heatwave.
Thousands of people evacuated from Rhodes
Officials estimate about 19,000 people have been evacuated by land and sea from the island so far.
Many airlines have ran repatriation flights from the island, which is also something easyJet will be doing on Monday (July 24).
Discussing their cancellations Tui tweeted: “The situation in the Southern part of #Rhodes remains volatile and challenging.
6) The situation in the Southern part of #Rhodes remains volatile and challenging. Due to this and considering the impact on local communities being affected, TUI has decided to cancel all flights and booked holidays to Rhodes for departures up to and incl. Tue, 25 July.
— TUI Group (@TUIGroup) July 23, 2023
“Due to this and considering the impact on local communities being affected, TUI has decided to cancel all flights and booked holidays to Rhodes for departures up to and incl. Tue, 25 July.”
A second tweet said customers with arrivals on July 26 could rebook or cancel free of charge by contacting their original point of booking for further details.
Meanwhile, Thomas Cook announced it had been in touch will all customers due to travel to Kiotari and Lardos – the areas of the Greek island at most risk – to arrange “swift refunds”.
It has also offered full refunds to customers due to depart for other parts of the island on Sunday and Monday who wish to cancel.