30-06-2025
Raging wildfires ground flights at busy tourist airport amid mass evacuation
A major tourist airport in Turkey has been forced to ground flights due to wildfires on Sunday evening.
Both take-offs and landings were suspended at Adnan Menderes Airport, which serves the popular coastal city of Izmir, after a major fire broke out in the area. Photos taken at the scene show huge flames rising - and plumes of smoke covering the sky.
The flights affected by the disruption are both international and national. Among passengers facing delays are some due to travel to Dublin, London Stansted and Brussels.
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Turkish firefighters are facing a battle on all sides as they desperately try to put out flames tearing through a number of towns, including the popular British holiday hotspot, Izmir.
An infernal forest fire has spread to residential areas of Turkey, with at least 10 settlements being evacuated.
Investigators believe the fires were man made, with one suspect being arrested for arson with gasoline in connection with a fire in the Buca area of Izmir. An additional 17 suspects have been arrested in connection with the fires in different provinces across the affected area.
On Sunday, there were 77 separate fires raging through the country, 53 of them in forests. Several properties have already been destroyed by the flames, which have been burning for 12 hours.
Authorities have been unable to use firefighting aircraft due to strong winds.
Passengers due to travel to and from Adnan Menderest Airport are facing disruption this evening because of the wildfires.
Some of them have seen their flights delayed by several hours while others have had their flights cancelled altogether.
At this stage, the exact cause of the fire is unknown.
Local officials said fire crews are working to contain the blaze.
Adnan Menderes Airport, which serves the coastal city of Izmir, either suspended or cancelled flights this evening.
This is due to a major wildfire that broke out in the area and expanded due to winds.
An airport spokesperson said: "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 16:00 local time.
"Some incoming flights were diverted to alternate airports during the closure.
"Following the NOTAM [meaning 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."
The airport's website shows that some flights have landed - and more are en route to Izmir, some with significant delays.
The planes that have landed so far included a Pegasus flight from Istanbul, a Bulgaria Air flight from Sofia and a Sun Express Airlines flight from Antalya.
These are the latest updates on the airport's website - some flights have departed and others have just finished boarding.
However, some passengers will need to wait until tomorrow to depart.
According to the airport's departure board, some flights have now departed.
They include a Sun Express Airlines flight to Venice, Italy, and another to Copenhagen, Denmark.
A Pegasus flight to Ercan, Northern Cyprus, also took off with a four-hour delay.
As flights slowly resume, more delays are expected.
For example, passengers who were due to travel to Amsterdam at 4.05pm local time today will depart at midday tomorrow - a delay of nearly 20 hours.
A flight to Rotterdam is also facing a huge delay of over 19 hours. It was set to depart at 4.45pm local time today, but has been rescheduled for 12pm tomorrow.
Passengers who were due to travel to London Stansted with SunExpress Airlines are facing a huge delay of 21 hours.
Their flight was set to depart at 10.30pm this evening but the new departure time is now estimated to be 7.30pm tomorrow.
It looks like some flights might be resuming as the departure board indicates that some passengers, such as those due to travel the SunExpress Airlines flight XQ 9190, can now head to the gate.
The flight was originally set to depart at 4.40pm local time but the new departure time is now 11.30pm, which is 9.30pm in the UK.
According to the latest updates on the airport's departure board, these are some of the cancelled flights:
For all the latest information on your flight, check the airport's departure board here or contact your airline.
At this stage, the cause of the fire is unknown.
Firefighting teams including two planes, one helicopter, three water tenders, and a water supply vehicle from the Izmir Regional Directorate of Forestry were dispatched to the area.
They were also joined by the municipal fire brigade.
Adnan Menderes Airport, which serves the coastal city of Izmir, either suspended or cancelled flights this evening.
