Is it safe to travel to Crete right now? Latest advice as wildfires erupt in popular holiday hotspot Heraklion
Flights cancelled: Thousands of tourists stranded at airports including Delhi and Zurich as Qatar Airways and Air India cancel flights
Flights cancelled: Thousands of tourists stranded at airports including Delhi and Zurich as Qatar Airways and Air India cancel flights
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A spokesperson for the airport confirmed: “Due to the forest fire in İzmir’s Gaziemir district and adverse weather conditions, including strong winds, İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport was temporarily closed to air traffic as of 4pm local time.”
The notice added: “Some incoming flights were diverted to alternate airports during the closure. Following the NOTAM [notice to airmen], the runway has reopened and the first flight, PC 1864 to Ercan, has successfully departed at 21:50 local time. Flight operations are gradually returning to normal.”
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Although flights slowly resumed on Sunday evening, disruption has continued into Monday, with several departures and arrivals delayed or diverted.
The wildfires, driven by soaring temperatures and wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour, triggered mass evacuations across several western Turkish provinces, including Sakarya, Bilecik, Manisa and İzmir. In total, more than 132 homes were damaged in İzmir alone. Four villages and two neighbourhoods were evacuated near the blaze, according to Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı.
A fire that broke out in İzmir’s Kuyucak and Doğanbey regions spread rapidly overnight. Firefighting efforts, involving helicopters, water trailers, and emergency vehicles, continued into Monday as smoke and an orange haze blanketed the skies above the city.
The impact on air travel has been severe. More than 55 flights were affected across multiple airlines, including Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Sun Express, AJet, Jet2, easyJet, and Air Montenegro.
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While normal operations resumed on Monday morning, delays persisted as airlines worked through the backlog. Passengers were left stranded or rerouted to nearby airports such as Dalaman, Bodrum, Antalya, Denizli and Edremit.
This comes amid growing concerns about travel safety in the region due to wider Middle East tensions. However, the UK Foreign Office maintains that Turkey’s main tourist areas are generally safe for travel.
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