Mount Etna eruption forces closure of Catania airport as dozens of flights are cancelled

Travel to and from Sicily is majorly disrupted after Mount Etna erupted on Sunday evening.

The majority of flights in and out of Catania airport are cancelled, with the airport saying it will reopen at 8pm this evening.

Etna is Europe’s most active volcano and Italian authorities say it has entered a “pre-alert” phase, moving from warning level F0 to F1.

The chaos comes a day before Italy’s biggest national holiday, Ferragosto.

If you are due to fly in or out of Catania, read on for advice from a journalist based in Sicily.

Airport officials say that all flights have been suspended at Catania until 8pm today. Catania is Sicily’s second biggest airport and operates domestic and international flights.

“Due to Etna’s eruptive activity and fallout of volcanic ash, flight operations are suspended until 08:00 pm,” the airport said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

It has advised passengers to check with their airline for information about their flight.

The eruption has now subsided but much of Catania has ash on the streets. The mayor has banned the use of motorcycles until Wednesday and banned drivers from driving over 30kph.

Catania normally handles around 200 flights a day and had to close at 2.38 am following the arrival of a flight from Casablanca. The airport is around 50km south of the volcano.

Catania airport's departures and arrivals boards show that approximately 95% of flights today have been cancelled.

However a few flights are still arriving or being diverted to other airports in Sicily.

Sicily is the biggest island in the Mediterranean, therefore the airports are spread out. 

Catania and Comiso airports are on the island's east coast. Whereas Palermo airport, the biggest on the island, is on the west