Multiple earthquakes are rattling Santorini, a volcanic island in Greece, prompting authorities to dispatch rescuers with tents, a sniffer dog and drones, and to shut schools on four islands.

Precautions were also ordered on several nearby Aegean Sea islands – all popular summer vacation destinations – after more than 200 undersea earthquakes were recorded in the area over the past three days.

“These measures are precautionary, and authorities will remain vigilant,” Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said late on Sunday following an emergency government meeting in Athens. “We urge citizens to strictly adhere to safety recommendations to minimise risk.”

Thousands of residents, seasonal workers and tourists have left the Cycladic Islands as hundreds of quakes up to magnitude 5 were recorded in the volcanic region since Friday. Ferry and commercial flight operators added services to accommodate departures.

Here’s everything you need to know if you are in Santorini or have a trip planned to the island – and what to consider if you want to cancel your holiday.

Schools closed on Santorini after earthquake swarm

While Greek experts say the quakes, many with magnitudes over 4.5, are not linked to Santorini’s volcano, they acknowledge that the pattern of seismic activity is cause for concern.

The frequency of the quakes, which continued throughout Sunday night and into Monday, has worried residents.

“I have never felt anything like this and with such frequency – an earthquake every 10 or 20 minutes,” said resident Michalis Gerontakis, who is also the director of the Santorini Philharmonic Orchestra. “Everyone is anxious, even if some of us hide it not to cause panic, but everyone is worried.”

Government officials met with scientists throughout the weekend and on Monday to assess the situation, while schools were also ordered shut on the nearby islands of Amorgos, Anafi, and Ios.

Hotels told to drain swimming pools amid earthquake tremors

On Santorini, residents and visitors have been advised to avoid large indoor gatherings, old buildings and areas where rock slides could occur.

Hotels were instructed to drain swimming pools over concerns that large volumes of water could destabilise buildings in case of a strong quake.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for Santorini and the neighbouring island of Amorgos and reiterated the advice from the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection.

“The Greek ministry advises people to avoid the ports of Amoudi, Armeni, Korfos and Old Port (Paleos Limenas) in the area of Fira and to choose safe routes when travelling, particularly in areas where the landslide risk is high,” the travel update reads.

“In case of a strong tremor, people should immediately depart coastal areas. If you are in the affected areas, you should follow the advice of the local authorities.”

Crescent-shaped Santorini is a premier tourism destination with daily arrivals via commercial flights, ferries, and cruise ships.

The island draws more than three million visitors annually to its whitewashed villages, built along dramatic cliffs formed by a massive volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago.

The location of settlements has created the dramatic scenery of cascading houses and sunset viewpoints that make the island so popular, but also raising concerns in the event of a major earthquake.

The sheer cliffs also make some areas prone to rock slides.

Can travellers get a refund if they cancel their holiday to Santorini?

Your right to reimbursement depends on several factors, including who cancels the trip and for what reasons.

“Holidaymakers expecting to travel to Santorini over the coming days should speak to their travel operator or airline in the first instance to ascertain their situation,” says Ernesto Suarez, CEO of travel insurer Gigasure.

“If it is deemed unsafe to travel, which is currently the advice from the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection, then the airline may cancel the flight.

However, travellers must be aware that in the event of an earthquake passengers may not be entitled to any compensation from the airline as disruption is being caused by natural disasters or circumstances outside of their control.”

Travellers with adequate travel insurance should have financial protection if all, or part of, their trip is delayed, cancelled, or cut short due to the earthquake, Suarez adds.

If you have bought extended travel disruption cover you should be covered for travel delay, abandoning or cutting short your trip and/or additional costs if you have to move accommodation or extend your stay.

However, if your trip has not been cancelled by the airline or tour operator and you choose not to travel anyway – deemed ‘disinclination to travel’ – you are unlikely to be entitled to compensation. Suarez advises travellers to check their policy wording for full details.

The UK’s FCDO has not issued a ‘do not travel’ warning and the current advice from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs is to exercise ‘normal precautions’, which means standard insurance policies should continue to cover holidaymakers.

Travellers should note, however, that if this advice is upgraded to ‘avoid non-essential travel’ or ‘do not travel’, most policies will be invalidated.

‘All scenarios remain open’

Prominent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the current earthquake sequence – displayed on live seismic maps as a growing cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi – could indicate a larger impending event.

“All scenarios remain open,” Papadopoulos wrote in an online post. “The number of tremors has increased, magnitudes have risen, and epicentres have shifted northeast. While these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the risk level has escalated.”

In Santorini’s main town of Fira, local authorities designated gathering points for residents in preparation for a potential evacuation, though Mayor Nikos Zorzos emphasised the preventive nature of the measures.

“We are obliged to make preparations. But being prepared for something does not mean it will happen,” he said during a weekend briefing. “Sometimes, the way the situation is reported, those reports may contain exaggerations […] so people should stay calm.”

Ryanair has announced it is axing all flights to and from Aalborg Airport in Denmark from the end of March. It means the country will lose 1.7 million seats and 32 routes for the summer, the budget airline said.

Ryanair has also confirmed it will close its base at Billund, another destination in Denmark, where it has two aircraft.

The budget carrier flies to both Aalborg and Billund, the latter the home of Legoland, from London Stansted airport. It operates direct routes to Billund from Edinburgh and Manchester, too.

The move comes “in response to the [Danish] government’s short-sighted decision to introduce an aviation tax of up to DKK 50 [€6.70] per departing passenger from Jan 2025, coupled with Billund’s failure to agree a competitive long-term agreement”, the airline said in a press release.

Denmark has ‘bizarrely’ introduced an aviation tax

Ryanair has blamed its exit from the Danish airports on the government having “bizarrely introduced an aviation tax”.

The airline says this will damage Denmark’s connectivity, tourism jobs and economy by making the country and its regional airports “hopelessly uncompetitive” compared to other EU countries.

It cites countries including Sweden, Italy, and Hungary that are instead abolishing their aviation taxes to stimulate traffic recovery and growth.

What are aviation taxes and what are they used for?

Denmark’s new air passenger tax will be a fee that travellers will pay in addition to other taxes when booking a flight.

Governments add them to encourage flyers to consider the environmental impact of their travel choices and discourage unnecessary air travel.

However, as collecting these taxes is the responsibility of airlines, who charge them to customers as part of their ticket, some carriers are concerned about putting off passengers, hence why Ryanair has called Denmark’s tax “anti-growth”.

But environmental campaigners say that air passenger duty taxes could go much further todiscourage flying.

Hannah Lawrence at Stay Grounded, a network to counter aviation, told Euronews, “Measures to stop the growth of air traffic are exactly what we need.”

“We need to see effective policies implemented across Europe that fairly reduce air traffic, such as the implementation of a Frequent Flying Levy. [This] would reduce emissions by reducing excessive flights for wealthy passengers.”

Major airports in Italy already began cancelling flights on Tuesday in preparation for a nationwide day of strikes.

Now, all air traffic at Ciampino Airport has been suspended due to a small fire that broke out on Wednesday morning.

This fire is the latest disruption to Italy’s planned flights after airport handling staff organised a 24-hour union walkout due to ongoing disputes.

Some trains and public transport in Milan and the rest of the Lombardy region have also been affected by a 23-hour strike action.

Flying through Italy today? Expect cancellations and delays

Rome’s second largest airport, Ciampino Airport, has had to suspend all flights after a small and already extinguished fire just broke out inside the tower of ENAV, the Italian Air navigation service provider. This was first announced by the NAV (Ente nazionale di assistenza al volo), the company that manages Italian air traffic.

While the fire has already been put, the cause is still unknown. It’s understood at this stage that there has been no damage to any equipment needed to operate the airport’s control tower. The airport is used by many of the budget airlines, including Ryanair.

This event comes after most of Italy’s main airports, including Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Naples, Catania, and Venice, have had to cancel flights due to a nationwide strike, including four ITA Airways international flights, and a regional train strike in Lombardy.

More flights could be cancelled during the day, and ITA Airways have advised passengers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

What’s the reason for Italy’s travel strikes?

Handling staff from companies associated with Italy’s largest aviation association, Assohandlers, have walked out for 24 hours due to ongoing disputes over pay and working conditions. The unions are demanding better working hours, higher wages, and more benefits for ground staff.

Airport handlers manage many of the vital services at airports, and in the past, such as the Belgium strike in January, have had a significant impact on airport logistics. As well as flight cancellations, passengers may have delays in receiving their luggage at their destination of arrival.

Some trains and public transport in the Lombardy region are also expected to be affected by strikes today, organised by the Orsa Ferrovie union who planned the industrial action due to unresolved labour regulation and financial compensation issues.

The regional railway company Trenord has said that this could affect all Lombardy train services, including regional, suburban, airport, and long-distance trains.

For any airport shuttle trains that are cancelled today, the company says that they will put on buses to run between Milan Cadorna and Malpensa Airport.

Are passengers entitled to compensation due to a strike?

Under EU law, if a flight is cancelled, the airline has to offer your a refund or an alternative flights.

If your flight is delayed, you may be entitled to refunds for unplanned expenses, such as food and accommodation.

Contact your airline or travel agent to claim your refunds, though beware it can take months for your money to arrive.

According to EU law, rail passengers within the bloc are also entitled to compensation.

If your train is delayed but you choose to travel anyway, you may still be eligible for a partial or full refund. This usually depends on how late your train arrives at its destination.

If your train is delayed by more than 60 minutes, you can choose not to travel and will receive a full refund for your ticket.

Alternatively, you can choose to travel at a later date.

SNCB has full details on how to claim a refund here.