Birmingham Airport: Flights impacted over Greece in fire chaos including Jet2, TUI & Ryanair

Rescue flights are bringing holidaymakers home from Greek islands Corfu and Rhodes which have been hit by wildfires amid a heatwave from today (Monday, July 24). This is affecting several flights at Birmingham Airport.

The UK government said up to 10,000 Britons are stranded in Rhodes. Others have been affected by the severe weather in Corfu and Evia where evacuations have taken place.

Jet2 and TUI have cancelled flights from Birmingham Airport to Rhodes and are instead operating repatriation flights. Meanwhile, Ryanair reported that flights to/from Rhodes and Corfu are currently operating as normal. One repatriation flight by TUI landed at Birmingham Airport this morning (Monday, July 24).

What Jet2 said

Jet 2 is operating three repatriation flights from Rhodes Airport to Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds starting today. The airline has also cancelled all flights and holidays due to depart from Birmingham Airport to Rhodes up to and including Sunday, July 30. The repatriation flights today (Monday, July 24) are as follows:

• Rhodes to Birmingham, departing tonight at 23.55 EEST with 189 seats
• Rhodes to Manchester, departing tonight at 22.55 EEST with 220 seats
• Rhodes to Leeds Bradford, departing tonight at 23.45 EEST with 189 seats

They added: “We will still fly those aircraft to Rhodes, but with no customers onboard, so that we can continue to bring our customers back to the UK on their scheduled flights, as well as any additional Jet2 customers who wish to return to the UK.

“Our first repatriation landed from Rhodes into Leeds Bradford late on Sunday evening, carrying 95 Jet2.com and Jet2holidays customers back to the UK. Customers were also provided with onward ground transportation.”

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.”

What TUI said

TUI operated three repatriation flights overnight (July 23-24) from Rhodes to the UK, including one flight which landed at Birmingham Airport this morning after 9am. Repatriation flights are expected to continue tomorrow (July 25) and Wednesday (July 26) as well.

Tui cancelled all outbound flights from Birmingham Airport to Rhodes Airport up to and including Tuesday, July 25 and passengers will receive full refunds. Those due to travel on Wednesday, July 26 can amend to another holiday or cancel free of charge.

The tourists currently in Rhodes will be able to return on their intended flights home on July 25 and July 26. However, if there are any issues that are raised by local authorities to effect this customers will be notified right away.

They added: “Our teams are working hard with local authorities in Greece to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our customers currently on holiday in Rhodes and impacted by the wildfires. We’d like to reassure you that we’re doing all we can to provide support and assistance. We appreciate how distressing and difficult it is for those who have been evacuated and ask they follow the advice of the local authorities, reps on the ground and hotel staff.” For more information, visit TUI’s website.

What Ryanair said

Ryanair said all their flights from Birmingham Airport to Rhodes Airport are unaffected by the forest fires, but passengers departing from Rhodes should be advised that they will accept temporary travel documentation issued by the Greek Police as many British tourists, including from Birmingham, who were evacuated from the Greek island have lost travel documents.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also set up a helpdesk at Rhodes airport to assist visitors who have lost their travel documents. You can also check the Ryanair app where you will be notified of any changes to your Ryanair flight.