Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Already a member?
Log in
Flights at Catania airport will remain suspended on Monday for a third consecutive day after volcanic ash from Mount Etna disrupted operations, the Sicilian airport’s operator has said.
All flight operations at the airport, which is Italy‘s fifth-busiest by passenger traffic, are suspended until 21:59 GMT on Monday, according to a revised notice from operator SAC.
Passengers have been advised to check the status of their journeys with their airlines before travelling to Catania airport. The operator added that further updates are set to follow.
Mount Etna, the highest and most active volcano in Europe, regularly interferes with operations at Catania. However, ash releases have been notably intense this summer, disrupting thousands of holidaymakers.
It comes after flights at Catania airport were suspended on 14 September because of volcanic ash.
Another closure a month earlier coincided with the Ferragosto holiday, marking the height of the Italian summer season when millions head to coastal and mountain destinations.
The closure lasted for five days, the longest emergency since 2002.
According to airport operator SAC, 36 per cent of nearly 2,000 flights due to arrive in Catania between 6 and 12 August were cancelled, with over 600 flights diverted to the locations Palermo, Trapani, Comiso, and Lamezia Terme.
“Volcanic ash can be a great risk for aircraft,” Boris Behncke, a researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology’s Etna Observatory, previously said.
“It can be sucked into the motors, and force them to stall. This is why everyone is so very cautious with aircraft when there is a volcanic ash emission.”
However, the most recent fatalities linked to an eruption of Europe’s most active volcano happened nearly 40 years ago, back in 1987.
According to officials, lightning strikes have resulted in more fatalities on Mount Etna in recent decades than volcanic activity.
An American tourist died in August after being struck by lightning on Mount Etna while hiking in an area closed to visitors due to volcanic activity, Italian firefighters said at the time.
The 29-year-old man from Kansas was rescued by helicopter after being hit and was later declared dead.
