Sicily’s airports closed following Mount Etna eruption

Catania and Comiso Airport in Sicily have been closed after Mount Etna erupted on Sunday 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.

At least 45 flights have already been cancelled and more are expected this afternoon alongside major delays and diversions.

The closures come a day before Italy’s biggest national holiday, Ferragosto.

Catania Airport closed after Mount Etna eruption

Airport officials say that flights have been suspended at Catania until 8 pm today. Catania is Sicily’s second biggest airport, with 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.

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.

Ryanair has warned all passengers travelling to and from Catania on 14 August that they could face “possible delays, diversion or cancellations to flights”.

The budget airline says that affected passengers will be notified as soon as possible.

Dozens of flights to Catania from other airlines across Europe have also been cancelled including easyJet and ITA.

Where else are flights being disrupted by the eruption?

Comiso airport, around 150km from Mount Etna, was affected by the eruption too with flights showing delays earlier this morning. Air traffic heading for the island of Malta is also being redirected to avoid the ash cloud from the eruption that has spread across Sicily.

European air passenger rights mean that travellers whose flights are heavily delayed or cancelled due to the eruption are entitled to meals and hotels as appropriate.

Cancellations, delays and disruptions could continue at short notice – especially if more eruptions occur.

Sicily’s summer of travel chaos

The closure comes just days after Catania reopened following a major fire in its terminal building in mid-July.

The fire led to thousands of flights being cancelled or diverted, with many tourists opting to cancel their holidays altogether.

Airport authorities have been criticised for their slow and disorganised response with hoteliers saying around 40,000 nights of accommodation have been lost since the fire.