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

The TUI Group is one of the world's leading tourism groups and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. TUI shares are listed in the MDAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and in the regulated market of the Lower Saxony Stock Exchange in Hanover. TUI Group offers its 19 million customers integrated services from a single source and forms the entire tourism value chain under one roof. The Group owns over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson and 17 cruise ships, ranging from the MS Europa and MS Europa 2 in the luxury class and expedition ships in the HANSEATIC class to the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises and cruise ships operated by Marella Cruises in the UK. The Group also includes Europe's leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms, for example for hotel-only or flight-only offers, 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 and cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in vacation destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a global tourism platform company.  

Global responsibility for sustainable economic, environmental and social action is at the heart of our corporate culture. With projects in 25 countries, 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. In this way, it supports the development of vacation destinations. The globally active TUI Care Foundation initiates projects that create new opportunities for the next generation.

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