Mount Etna's Eruption Forces Catania Airport to Close

(Photo: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images) A view of Etna's summit craters from a helicopter of the Air Base, Air Nucleus and Helicopter Flight Section of the Catania Coast Guard, with personnel from the INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) on board, for the purpose of monitoring the volcano's activity. The airport of Catania has been closed due to the latest volcanic activity of Mount Etna after it erupted on August 13, 2023.

Flights serving the city of Catania on the eastern side of the Italian island of Sicily were canceled due to a new eruption of Mount Etna Sunday (August 13).

Local authorities said the volcano spewed out lava and ash high over Sicily. This meant flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination for its proximity to the sea due to the volcano, would remain suspended until 06:00 local time (04:00 UTC) Tuesday (August 15), the city's airport operator said in a statement.

Typically, flights to the island are frequently high during the summer months.

Flights Diverted

Meanwhile, incoming flights were diverted to other airports on Sicily Monday (August 14).

Catania Mayor Enrico Trantino banned the use of motorcycles and bicycles in the city for the next 48 hours because many streets were covered in ash. He also ordered cars to drive no faster than 30 kph due to the skiddy conditions.

The latest cancellations at Catania airport, which attracts more arrivals than the island's capital, Palermo, came a month after a fire at a terminal building led to weeks of disruptions for passengers, Reuters reported.

The last major eruption of Etna was in 1992, but its latest activity was recorded as recently as 2021.