Airlines and travel operators are cancelling and rearranging flights to parts of Greece as wildfires rage through islands. Rhodes and Corfu have both been caught up in major blazes.

On Sunday, Jet2 and TUI both announced they would be cancelling all imminent flights to Rhodes due to fires on the island. All customers will be entitled to full refunds, or given the option to rebook.

The fires have continued to burn with temperatures set to reach 45C.Repatriation flights are set to arrive in Rhodes to rescue any British tourists who are stuck in a "living nightmare", reports the Mirror.

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Authorities have evacuated large parts of both islands. Meanwhile, a British Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a Rapid Deployment Team had arrived on Rhodes to support travel operators in bringing Brits home.

easyJet

EasyJet announced it would operate repatriation flights to bring home British holidaymakers trapped on Rhodes.

Two rescue flights, an A320 and an A321 aircraft totalling 421 additional seats, will fly from Gatwick on Monday, and a third flight will operate on Tuesday.

Nine flights already operating between Rhodes and the UK will also continue alongside them.

Flights are still operating for customers booked to travel to or from Rhodes before July 29, but if they would like to change their plans, customers can change the date of their flight or request a flight voucher.

Jet2

Jet2 was the first to announce it had cancelled all flights and holidays due to depart to Rhodes up to and including Sunday July 30.

Aircraft will be flown to Rhodes with no customers onboard, so they can bring customers on the island back to the UK.

The company said it would be contacting customers to arrange refunds or re-bookings.

TUI

TUI said it had cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes up to and including Tuesday July 25, with passengers receiving full refunds.

Those due to travel on Wednesday July 26 can amend to another holiday or cancel free of charge.It said customers currently in Rhodes will return on their intended flights home.

Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook announced it had cancelled all holidays to Kiotari and Lardos – the areas of Rhodes most at risk – up to and including Monday July 31, and would be in touch to offer full refunds.

Customers travelling to other parts of the island on July 24 and 25 are being called in departure order to receive a full refund if they wish to cancel their trip.

Those travelling on Wednesday July 26 will be contacted no later than 6am on July 25 to discuss options.

British Airways

British Airways said it was still operating flights to Rhodes as normal.

However, customers currently on the island needing to come home early can change their return flight free of charge, and anyone travelling out from the UK in the next week can postpone their flight to a later date.

Can you get your money back?

Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance expert at Defaqto said: “If your airline is having to cancel your flight due to the wildfires, they should be offering you the chance to rebook, or a full refund should you wish to cancel. Depending on the airline, they may offer ‘credit’ with them rather than a refund, so you will need to check with operator.

"If you booked a package holiday, the rebooking or refund will apply to all elements within that package, so your flight, transport, and accommodation.

"If you have booked the elements of your holiday independently, so your flight and accommodation separately, then you will need to speak to each provider to understand your rights and their cancellation policy. The airline should do as above; however, it will be down to the accommodation provider as to how they treat an event such as this. If it is the case the accommodation is no longer safe or habitable then they should most likely refund you, however if your flight has been cancelled but the accommodation is unaffected, they may not be required to give you your money back. It is therefore important to check their terms and speak with them about your options."

She continued: "If you booked through your credit card or in some cases your debit card you may have cover under the Consumer Credit Act if the services, you have paid for are not provided.

"It is also important to check your travel insurance policy. If government advice changes advising against travel to the area after you have booked your trip, then you can be covered for cancellation or curtailment. You can also be covered for additional travel and accommodation costs should your trip be disrupted due to a catastrophic event if your insurer offers this cover, or you have paid for the option to include it.

"In many cases this will cover you being unable to use your booked accommodation due to 'fire' however each insurer will define these events differently so its key to check your terms and conditions to understand what cover you have."

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