Greece: Airlines extend repatriation effort as evacuation orders continue
Will PayneAirlines and operators have added more repatriation flights from Rhodes as the wildfires, which prompted mass evacuations at the weekend, continue to burn across parts of the island.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays will operate four repatriation flights from the island on Monday evening (24 July) – two to Leeds Bradford, and one each to Manchester and Birmingham, with capacity for just short of 800 people.
This is in addition to the more than 50 flights it is scheduled to operate between Rhodes and the UK this week. The carrier has cancelled all holidays due to depart to Rhodes up to and on Sunday (30 July), with all outbound flights in this time set to operate empty.
Jet2 added it was aware of the wildfire situation in Corfu after a small number of hotels and villas were briefly evacuated as a precaution over the weekend, but have since reopened.
Meanwhile, Tui operated six repatriation flights on Monday, three of which were for UK holidaymakers, returning them to Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
Tui’s Thomas Ellerbeck, a member of the group’s executive committee, said: "Our colleagues continue to work around the clock to support the affected guests. During the night we have also sent six available aircraft from our fleet directly to Rhodes to pick up guests and fly them back to their home countries."
The group said as of Sunday (23 July), it had around 39,000 guests on the island, 7,800 of whom were affected by the situation.
Elsewhere, easyJet had planned to operate two repatriation flights to Gatwick on Monday, with capacity for 421 passengers, in addition to the nine flights it currently has operating between the UK and Rhodes. Another repatriation flight is scheduled for Tuesday (25 July). The airline and operator said it would keep the situation under review "if additional repatriation flights are needed"
Customers booked to travel to or from Rhodes until Saturday 29 July can transfer for free to another date or can request a flight voucher for the value of their unused flighty. EasyJet package holidays to impacted resorts in Rhodes departing up to and on 29 July and have been cancelled.
EasyJet is also contacting customers due to travel to the impacted resorts in Rhodes up to and on 10 August to discuss their options.
The Foreign Office has updated its advice for British nationals in Rhodes, or due to travel to fire-hit areas, but is yet to advise against all but essential travel to Greece or its islands.
The latest advice issued by the FCDO reads: "Extreme temperatures are affecting many areas of Greece and there are a number of active wildfires. If you are a British national affected by wildfires, please follow the guidance from the emergency services."
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: "The wildfires currently raging across Rhodes, Corfu and Evia will be devastating to residents as well as a serious blow to local businesses reliant on seasonal tourism.
"Without a FCDO warning against travel to the affected regions, travellers who don’t want to go but are refused flexibility to rebook are likely to be left holding the bill for acting sensibly, and may be unable to claim on their travel insurance."
Agents, meanwhile, have praised the response of Britain’s operators and airlines to the wildfire crisis and played down the long-term impact of the situation on tourism to the country’s islands.
On the ground in Rhodes, Designer Travel head of commercial and sales Darren Bien was among those evacuated from a resort in Rhodes over the weekend. In a video message, he thanked local residents for their assistance and reassured travellers the situation on the ground was improving.
Sunvil managing director Chris Wright, who is in Corfu, echoed Bien’s comments, telling TTG "the air was "clean and fresh" on the island on Monday morning (24 July), adding the impact of the fires in Corfu had been limited with most people already back to going about their holidays and lives.
Sign up for weekday travel news and analysis straight to your inbox
Supplier Directory
Find contacts for 260+ travel suppliers. Type name, company or destination.
Editor's pick
Clients with kids? Consider Disney’s Encanto countryPARTNER CONTENT
Recommended For You
Latest travel jobs
Self-employed Holiday Sales Consultants
Junior Africa Sales Consultant
Travel Consultant - Barrhead, Newtownabbey
Competitions
Upcoming events
Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
