Jet2 issues Rhodes flights update as Greece holidays cancelled due to wildfires

Jet2 has today announced it will operate four repatriation flights from Rhodes to bring holidaymakers back to the UK.

Up to 10,000 Britons are estimated to be on the fire-ravaged Greek island where a week-long wildfire has forced evacuations.

The latest evacuations were ordered in south Rhodes on Monday (24 July) after 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats over the weekend out of the path of the fire that reached several coastal areas from nearby mountains.

The wildfire had been confined to the island’s mountainous centre but, aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread towards the coast on the island’s central-eastern side.

Help continued to arrive from the European Union and elsewhere, with Turkish firefighting planes joining the effort in Rhodes, where eight water-dropping planes and 10 helicopters buzzed over flames up to 16 feet tall despite low visibility.

Fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said on Monday that “the risk of fire will be extreme in several areas of Greece today”, a day after temperatures on the southern Greek mainland soared as high as 45C.

Evacuations were also ordered overnight on the western island of Corfu, where more than 2,000 people including tourists were moved to safety, on the island of Evia and in a mountainous area in the southern Peloponnese region.

Jet2 has confirmed it will operate the following four repatriation flights on Monday:

• Rhodes to Manchester, departing tonight with 220 seats
• Two Rhodes to Leeds Bradford flights, departing tonight with 189 seats
• Rhodes to Birmingham, departing tonight with 189 seats

This is in addition to over 50 scheduled flights operating between Rhodes and the UK up to 30 July.

The rescue flights come after the budget airline on Sunday cancelled all holidays and flights due to depart to Rhodes up to and including Sunday 30 July. The airline said the move is to give customers assurance and to avoid putting further pressure on the island’s infrastructure.

Customers affected by the cancellations will be contacted by Jet2 with regards to their refund and rebooking options, and if they wish to receive a refund, this will be processed quickly.

The airline added that it will continue to fly aircraft to Rhodes but with no customers onboard so it can bring back holidaymakers to the UK on their scheduled flights, as well as any additional Jet2 customers who wish to return to the UK.

Jet2’s first repatriation landed from Rhodes into Leeds Bradford late on Sunday evening, carrying 95 customers back to the UK.

A spokesperson for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “We understand how difficult this experience has been for many, and our entire focus is on looking after our customers. We have a significantly expanded presence in Rhodes, with a huge team of experienced colleagues providing all the support we can for our customers, whether that is in affected areas or at Rhodes Airport.

“We have also put on three repatriation flights to bring our customers home, which is on top of our scheduled programme of flights that will continue to operate from Rhodes to the UK this week. We are continuing to make decisions in the best interests of our customers, and we are keeping everything under constant review.”