Travel advice explained as Sicily experiences wildfires

WILDFIRES broke out in Sicily on Tuesday morning (July 25, 2023) and have reached the airport of the island’s capital city.

The fires come as schools break up for the summer holidays, leaving many forced to make other plans for their long break.

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Is it safe to travel to Sicily?

Currently the wildfires in Sicily are restricted to a very local area near Palermo.

However, the UK’s Foreign Office has issued warnings for those travelling to Italy as a heatwave smothers much of southern Europe.

They advise travellers to visit the NHS website or foreign health ministry websites for further guidance on how to stay safe in high temperatures.

It is also crucial that you have travel insurance in case you need medical treatment while out there.

Wildfires broke out around Palermo Airport in Sicily on Tuesday morning (July 25, 2023), with dry conditions increasing the risk of blazes in many areas.

The airport was forced to shut all air traffic until 11am local time, according to the operator’s official Twitter account.

Several flights were cancelled and affected passengers were advised to contact their airline for further guidance.

It was reported that more than 70 wildfires had broken out in the area in the last 24 hours.

Some flights were redirected to Trapani Airport on the west side of the island, while some were delayed until further notice.

Palermo Airport eventually announced it had reopened shortly before 11am, but with a limited departure service.

They tweeted: “The airport in Palermo has reopened.

“At the moment only a limited number of departing flights will be allowed. For arrivals, weather conditions are being monitored.”

Where are the wildfires in Greece?

Wildfires have spread across Rhodes and have left thousands of holidaymakers stranded.

More than 19,000 people have been evacuated from the wildfires, which began after Greece was hit by an extensive heatwave.

Over the weekend of July 22 and 23, British Embassy officials in Athens urged Brits to leave Rhodes, forcing major UK airlines Jet2, TUI and Thomas Cook to cancel flights and their package holidays.

Wildfires have also spread across the island of Corfu, as well as Agioi Theodoroi and parts of Evia.

On July 25, Crete issued an “extreme fire risk” and a “Level 5” alert.

Rethymnon, Heraklion, and Lasithi are the holiday hotspots that have been named as at risk.