During the volcanic eruption on the Canary Island of La Palma, tourists also had to be evacuated.
What travelers now need to know about air travel and cancellations.
On Sunday (September 19th) a volcano of the Cumbre Vieja chain on the island of La Palma became active again for the first time in 50 years.
In total, more than 6.5,000 people have been evacuated so far, as the
Tagesschau
reports - including tourists.
As the tour operator Alltours announced to the news portal
RP Online
, two dozen travelers who have booked their holidays with the company have been brought to safety.
The affected guests were "brought to a more distant, safe hotel".
Here you can find out what travelers who are planning or have booked a Canary Islands holiday should know now.
Which areas are affected by the volcanic eruption?
The volcano erupted in Montaña Rajada in the
El Paso municipality
.
According to the newspaper
Diario de Canarias, the
evacuation began
with around 300 people from
Alcalá and El Paraíso
, the districts closest to the outbreak area.
In addition, people from different parts of the city in the municipalities of El Paso, Fuencaliente, Mazo, Tazacorte and Los Llanos de Ariadne were brought to safety.
According to the
Tagesschau,
around 500 tourists also had to
leave their accommodation and were accommodated in other hotels.
Find out here
: When your travel insurance will take effect during the corona pandemic - and whether additional protection is worthwhile.
Volcanic eruption in the Canaries: is air traffic on La Palma impaired?
The air traffic on La Palma will
continue to be maintained
, as the airport operator Aena announced on Twitter.
However, some flights have been canceled due to ash clouds.
According to Aena, the situation is being constantly monitored.
Travelers are also advised
to contact their airline
.
A spokeswoman for the German airline Condor also gave the
all-clear
to
RP Online
: "Air traffic on La Palma has not yet been affected and all Condor flights are taking place as planned."
📣 Todos los aeropuertos de #Canarias se encuentran operativos en este momento 🛫🛬.
➡️ Si vas a volar, confirma siempre con tu compañía aérea el estado de tu vuelo. # ErupciónLaPalma # VolcándeLaPalma pic.twitter.com/tUQzpnPyPL
- Aena (@aena) September 22, 2021
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: Aida introduces the 1G rule for all cruise trips - sometimes even for children under 12 years of age.
Canary Islands vacation: can the planned trip be canceled due to the volcanic eruption?
The Foreign Office has not issued a travel warning so far, but it is
currently not advisable to travel to La Palma
that is
not necessary
. There is a considerable risk of forest fires and the risk of a health hazard from ash rain. According to travel lawyer Paul Degott, anyone who has booked holiday accommodation in the immediate vicinity of the outbreak site has a good chance of being able to cancel a package tour free of charge: "In the case of a package tour, the organizer then has to repay the price," he explains to the
Reisereporter
online portal
. It is also a prerequisite that there are specific impairments. These include ash rain or an evacuation of the vacation spot.
However, if the destination on La Palma is not near the volcanic eruption, Degott says it cannot be said in general whether the trip can be canceled free of charge. In this case, he advises tourists to
contact the tour operator
. A package tour can be canceled due to "exceptional circumstances", he explains, according to
RP Online
.
Individual travelers
who have booked the hotel and flight separately should contact their airline and the landlord.
It should be noted here that the respective terms and conditions apply to the booked accommodations with regard to cancellation.
However, there is a right to reimbursement of flight costs if the flight is canceled by the airline due to ash rain or the like.
Then either an alternative flight has to be arranged or the costs have to be reimbursed.
However, if the flight takes place, there is no right to a refund.
(fk)