Forest fire chaos: flights to Olbia diverted – this is how travelers react!

Forest fire chaos: flights to Olbia diverted – this is how travelers react!

Imagine you're planning a relaxing vacation on the Italian island of Sardinia and suddenly everything gets thrown into disarray. This is exactly what happened to many travelers from Germany. A forest fire raging near the city of Olbia has severely disrupted air traffic. Due to the closure of the airspace over Olbia, three flights were diverted. Two of them took off from Munich, while another plane came from Berlin. Instead of the original landing at the “Costa Smeralda” airport, the planes had to fly on to Cagliari, as Merkur reports.

Although Costa Smeralda Airport remains open, landing there was not possible. But travelers can at least fly out of Olbia. The forestry corps' emergency services as well as numerous volunteers and firefighters are on a large scale to deal with this situation, supported by fire-fighting helicopters who are doing everything they can to bring the fire under control.

Fire danger and travel warnings

The forest fires in Sardinia are no longer an isolated incident. Dangerous fires have been raging in several regions of Italy for weeks, including not only Sardinia, but also Sicily, Apulia and Calabria. There is currently a state of emergency in Sardinia and more than 600 residents have already had to evacuate their homes. The areas around Cagliari in the south and Sassari in the north of the island are primarily affected. A detailed overview of the fire areas can be found on maps created using NASA data, as Reisereporter shows.

Caution is advised for travelers who want to spend their vacation in Sardinia in the coming days or weeks. The current forest fires are considered exceptional circumstances and may, under certain conditions, lead to free cancellations of package holidays if fires are in the immediate vicinity. However, individual travelers should be aware that they are often bound by the terms and conditions of their bookings, which makes it difficult to cancel without penalty.

Travel information for those affected

Against this background, it is advisable for all travelers to keep themselves informed about possible flight changes and current developments. In most cases, airlines and airports will provide ample notice, and all travelers should check their email and messages regularly. The risk of fire in Sardinia is increased by the high temperatures and the persistent dryness, which does not make the situation any easier, as RND also discusses.

We wish everyone affected a quick clarification of the situation and hope that the situation will improve quickly. For many, the summer vacation is a well-deserved break - let's hope that things go smoothly again soon!