Sicily’s Catania Airport has temporarily stopped all flights due to a recent eruption of nearby Mount Etna. The eruption has led to falling ash, which poses a risk to air travel.
The airport initially suspended flights until 13:00, but due to ongoing ashfall, the suspension has been extended until 20:00. Outbound flights are suspended and incoming flights have been diverted to Trapani.
As per the data provided by Cirium, Catania Airport was scheduled to be the sixth busiest in Italy today with 235 flights scheduled to depart and arrive from the airport. In total this week, Catania Airport was scheduled to see a total of 1,690 arrivals and departures
From the UK, there were seven return flights scheduled to Catania Airport with 42 return departures across the whole week.
Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano, has a history of frequent eruptions over the past half a million years. The airport, which serves the eastern part of Sicily and saw around 10 million passengers last year, was also closed temporarily in May due to a volcanic eruption.