Flights at Catania airport in Sicily faced another suspension on Wednesday due to fresh ash emissions from Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano. This led to extended airspace restrictions disrupting travel during the peak summer holiday season. The impact of the recent eruption extended beyond Sicily, causing flight cancellations and significant delays in neighboring Malta as volcanic ash drifted south across the Mediterranean.
Mount Etna frequently disrupts operations at Catania airport, which serves as Sicily’s primary gateway and is the fifth busiest airport in Italy in terms of passenger traffic. Recent volcanic activities have had a notable effect on travelers. Images captured on July 5 and 6 show lava flow and smoke rising from the volcano’s crater during the eruption.
Satellite imagery from Tuesday displays smoke spreading from Mount Etna. Additionally, a drone view captured lava flowing down a slope during the eruption on the same day. Travel disruptions have been ongoing in eastern Sicily since last week, with ash clouds from Etna affecting the region. Stranded passengers were seen waiting at the terminal following the closure of Catania airport due to the ash cloud on Monday.
Although conditions seemed to improve on Wednesday, Malta International Airport continued to caution passengers about potential disruptions. The prolonged restrictions at Catania have put additional strain on Sicily’s other airports. Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla mentioned that the city’s airport had accommodated 190 flights that were initially scheduled for Catania in recent days. Comiso airport, a smaller facility south of Catania, which has been utilized to manage tourist season traffic, resumed full operations after halting flights on Tuesday evening due to ash from Mount Etna.