Rhodes/Hanover, 24 July 2023

Forest fires on Rhodes - TUI deploys additional aircraft to bring affected guests back early to their home countries

  • Travel group continues with more than 300 service staff on the island – round-the-clock care for affected guests

TUI has extended its support for holidaymakers affected by the devastating forest fires on the island of Rhodes. Early on Monday morning, six additional TUI planes flew guests, TUI customers as well as others, from Germany and the UK back home. The TUI planes brought holidaymakers safely back to Hanover, Frankfurt and Stuttgart and in the UK to London-Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester. In addition, another TUI flight will take Danish guests back to Billund. Thomas Ellerbeck, member of TUI's Group Executive Committee: "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. Further operations have already been implemented and are planned, we are informing our guests on site and organising all necessary steps." Since the weekend, more than 300 service staff in south-eastern Rhodes have been ensuring the safety of TUI guests and providing them with replacement accommodation, food and drinks.

On Sunday, the group had around 39,000 guests on the island, 7,800 of whom were affected by the situation. They have been moved to other locations on the island and are staying in hotels or in accommodation designated by the local authorities. The situation on the ground is constantly evolving and changing and is regularly reassessed by the travel group. TUI will send an update on the current situation in the course of the afternoon. 

About TUI Group

TUI Group is a leading global tourism group and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. TUI shares are listed on the FTSE 250, an index of the London Stock Exchange, on the regulated market of the Hanover Stock Exchange and on the Open Market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The TUI Group offers integrated services from a single source for its 21 million customers.

The entire tourism value chain is covered under one roof. This includes over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson and 16 cruise ships, from the MS Europa and the MS Europa 2 in the luxury class and expedition ships to the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises and cruise ships at Marella Cruises in Great Britain. The Group also includes leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms across Europe, five airlines with more than 130 modern medium and long-haul aircraft and around 1,200 travel agencies. In addition to expanding its core business with hotels, cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in holiday destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a digital company.

Global responsibility for sustainable economic, ecological and social action is at the core of our corporate culture. The TUI Care Foundation, initiated by TUI, focuses on the positive effects of tourism, on education and training and on strengthening environmental and social standards with projects in 25 countries. It thus supports holiday destinations in their development.

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