Mount Etna erupted again Wednesday, forcing authorities to suspend operations at Catania Airport and disrupting flights across Sicily and neighboring Malta at the height of the summer tourist season.
Ash emitted by the volcano, which can pose a serious danger to aircraft, prompted authorities to extend restrictions in the surrounding airspace and halt flights at Catania, Sicily’s main international gateway.
Mount Etna erupts
SAC, the company that operates Catania Airport, said flights would remain suspended until at least 5 p.m. Israel time Thursday and urged passengers to check their flight status directly with airlines.
The latest eruption has also affected travel beyond Sicily.
Flight cancellations and significant delays were reported overnight in neighboring Malta after volcanic ash drifted south across the Mediterranean. Conditions appeared to improve Wednesday, but Malta International Airport warned passengers that further disruption remained possible.
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Lava erupts from Mount Etna in Sicily. Passengers were urged to check their flight status with airlines
(Photo: Handout / ETNA WALK / AFP)
(Photo: Handout / ETNA WALK / AFP)
(Photo: Handout / ETNA WALK / AFP)
Etna is Europe’s highest and most active volcano and relatively frequently disrupts operations at Catania Airport, the primary gateway to Sicily and Italy’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic.
The prolonged restrictions in Catania have also increased pressure on other airports across Sicily during one of the busiest periods of the tourist season.
Catania Airport
(Photo: Marco Restivo/Etna Walk/via REUTERS)
(Photo: Marco Restivo/Etna Walk/via REUTERS)
Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla said the city’s airport had already handled 190 flights in recent days that were originally scheduled to arrive at or depart from Catania.
Some passengers rerouted through Palermo complained that they received insufficient assistance in finding onward transportation.
(Photo: AP Photo/Simone Genovese)
איטליה סיציליה התפרצות הר הגעש אטנה אתנה
(Photo: Giuseppe Distefano / ETNA WALK / AFP)
The unexpected influx sharply increased demand for buses and taxis, leaving many travelers struggling to reach their destinations. The congestion also caused delays at Palermo Airport itself.
Comiso Airport, a smaller facility south of Catania that has also absorbed some of the diverted traffic in recent days, returned to full operations Wednesday after being forced to suspend flights the previous evening because of ash from Etna.