Mount Etna Activity Disrupts Flights at Catania Airport

Ongoing volcanic activity at Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily has disrupted operations at Catania Fontanarossa Airport, the busiest airport in Sicily and the fifth busiest in Italy.

Ash clouds generated by eruptions that began on Thursday prompted the temporary closure of parts of the airspace surrounding the airport. Restrictions on arriving flights also remained in place on Friday and Saturday.

On Monday, August 10, as the volcanic ash cloud intensified again, arrivals were initially limited to a maximum of six aircraft per hour. All arriving flights were later suspended until 5:00 p.m. local time, while departures continued to operate.

Some flights scheduled to arrive in Catania were diverted to other airports, including Palermo, while additional services experienced delays and cancellations.

Due to the risk posed by volcanic ash to aircraft operations, the aviation colour code was raised to red.