An EasyJet pilot reportedly urged passengers on the plane he was about to fly to get off the aircraft if they could, moments before he took them to Rhodes.
Wildfires on Rhodes triggered around 20,000 evacuations from the Greek island over the weekend, as they continue to rage while extreme temperatures in southern Europe perservere.
There were an estimated 10,000 British tourists on the island before evacuation began, while temperatures lingered around the mid-30s.
Fires have broken out in other Greek islands – Corfu and Evia – too, as well as Italy and Algeria, but blazes in Rhodes have been especially shocking.
The UK government has not actually called for people not to travel to the area so far – unlike one particular EasyJet pilot, according to BBC reporter Gwyn Loader on Tuesday.
The pilot said there just 37 passengers on the plane (even though it had a capacity of 180), but still encouraging people to disembark.
Speaking over the tannoy, the pilot said: “Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea.”
He noted that some were “stranded and sleeping at the airport”, encouraging any holidaymakers on his flight to try and rebook their flights.
According to the reporter, eight people took up the offer and left the plane.
The pilot said: “As far as I’m concerned, this flight is being operated on an emergency basis. If you want to get off the flight, you are welcome to do so.
“I don’t know in what capacity you are travelling, but if you are travelling for leisure, my sincere recommendation is it’s a bad idea.”
EasyJet is one of a handful of airlines still operating flights in and out Rhodes.
Greek officials have insisted that the islands are safe and still open for business, with Greece’s tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni telling the Today programme on Monday that 10-20% of the island was impacted.
Meanwhile, UK PM Rishi Sunak said on Monday: “My paramount priority is the safety of British nationals.
“The most important thing is people remain in touch with their tour operators, there are lots of flights going back and forth to be able to bring people home, and if people are in touch with their tour operators they will get the information that they need.”
And when asked on Times Radio if the Foreign Office was being too relaxed in its approach to Rhodes, housing secretary Michael Gove denied it – and said he planned to go to Evia, one of the islands impacted, in just over a week for a holiday.
The government website has called for any British nationals travelling to Greece to check with your travel operator or hotel before travelling there.
For nationals already in Greece, it encourages people to follow information on coping in the heat on the NHS website and to register for the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service.
The updated gov.uk also says people should “monitor local and international weather updates from the Greek Meteorological Service or European Meteorological Services”, too.