Wildfires Greece: EasyJet pilot urges tourists to get off plane headed for Rhodes as Crete put under alert for wildfires

The pilot said tourists could rebook

An EasyJet pilot urged passengers to get off a plane heading for the Greek island of Rhodes, telling them it was a “terrible idea” to visit the destination – as neighbouring Crete has been put on alert for wildfires.

The pilot said before take-off that passengers could get off and rebook at a later date. This comes as in Italy, an airport was shut down overnight as fires burned around the transport hub in the Sicilian city of Palermo.

"Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea,” the pilot said to the plane of 37 passengers on the flight from Gatwick, citing stranded tourists and holidaymakers sleeping in airports.

Wildfires burn in the forests near the village of Vati, just north of the coastal town of Gennadi, in the southern part of the Greek island of Rhodes.

“As far as I’m concerned, this flight is being operated on an emergency basis,” he added, noting return flights were now “being managed by the military”.

The pilot said: “I don’t know in what capacity you are travelling, but if you are travelling for leisure, my sincere recommendation is it’s a bad idea.”

In Crete, residents have been warned there is an extreme risk of fire and a new evacuation in Corfu has been issued by the Greek authorities, with people in the northern village of Loutses told to move towards Acharavi, further west.

The Greek prime minister will meet senior members of the government today to discuss the emergency. Wildfires have also been raging in Tunisia and Algiers.

The UK Government has been urged by politicians and consumer groups to add Rhodes to the “red list” of countries where there is a travel advisory, to allow holidaymakers to claim on their travel insurance.