Flights were once again halted at Catania airport in Sicily on Wednesday due to fresh ash emissions from Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest and most active volcano. These emissions led to an extension of airspace restrictions, causing disruptions during the busy summer holiday season. The impact of the eruption reached beyond Sicily, affecting neighboring Malta with flight cancellations and significant delays as volcanic ash drifted south across the Mediterranean.
Mount Etna frequently disrupts operations at Catania airport, which serves as Sicily’s primary gateway and ranks as Italy’s fifth busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic. Recent volcanic activities have had a noticeable effect on travelers, with images capturing lava flow and smoke rising from the volcano’s crater during the eruptions on July 5 and 6.
Satellite imagery displayed the spread of smoke from Mount Etna on Tuesday, emphasizing the ongoing volcanic activity. A drone view also captured lava flowing down a slope during the eruption on the same day. Travel disruptions have been ongoing in eastern Sicily since the previous week when volcanic activity resumed, leading to ash dispersal across the region. Stranded passengers were pictured waiting at the terminal after Catania airport’s closure due to the ash cloud from Mount Etna on Monday.
While conditions seemed to improve on Wednesday, Malta International Airport continued advising passengers about potential disruptions. The extended restrictions at Catania have put additional strain on Sicily’s other airports. Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla disclosed that the city’s airport had accommodated 190 flights originally destined for Catania in recent days. Comiso airport, a smaller facility south of Catania, which had been handling tourist season traffic, resumed full operations after suspending flights on Tuesday evening due to ash fallout from Mount Etna.
