Jet2 canceled all flights and holidays to Rhodes on Sunday, and holiday group TUI has canceled all outbound flights to the Greek island up to and including on Tuesday because of a wildfire, the companies said in statements.
Jet2 said in a statement posted on Twitter, "We have canceled all flights and holidays that are due to depart to Rhodes today (five flights in total) ... We will fly those five aircraft to Rhodes with no customers onboard so that we can bring customers back to the U.K. on their scheduled flights."
TUI said on its website, "We have canceled all outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Tuesday 25th of July 2023. Customers currently in Rhodes will return on their intended flight home."
High winds forecast for Sunday are expected to hamper firefighters' battle to contain the inferno on the Greek island, sparking the biggest-ever fire evacuation in Greece.
"We had to evacuate an area of 30,000 people," Konstantia Dimoglidou, Greek police spokesperson, told AFP, adding that everything had gone "smoothly."
"This is the biggest fire evacuation ever in Greece."
Police said that authorities had transported some 16,000 people across the land, with 3,000 evacuated by sea and others fleeing by road or with their own modes of transport after being told to leave the area.
Some 2,000 tourists were evacuated earlier on Saturday from Rhodes Island by sea as the wildfires continued to spread to settlements.
Holiday-makers were evacuated from two beaches on the island, the Kathimerini daily reported late on Saturday, citing Fire Service spokesperson Yannis Artopios.
Artopios said three coast guard vessels, an army lifeboat, special forces inflatables and 30 private sailboats assisted in evacuating tourists.
Early on Saturday, tourists in the area of Kiotari were first gradually transferred to a nearby beach and then to safe areas on the island.
Residents in Lardos, Pylonas, Asklipios and Kiotari villages were also advised to evacuate to Gennadi by the country's Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry.
More than 200 firefighters and fire extinguisher aircraft are battling the blazes for the fifth day amid hot and dry weather.
Greece has been struggling to put out raging wildfires, with firefighting planes from many countries, including Türkiye, arriving to help extinguish the flames that burned houses and destroyed the environment.
