Mount Etna eruption: Catania airport closed until August 14, around 700 flights canceled

The eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, has led to the cancellation of approximately 700 flights at Catania Airport, including canceled arrivals and departures. The closure of Catania Airport has been extended until August 14, UNN reports, citing ANSA and Sky TG24.

Details

From August 8 to 11, around 400 departing flights were canceled, while another 52, according to the SAC website, were due to be canceled on August 12. More than 250 flights were diverted to other airports: of these, more than 100 had been redirected to Comiso since the emergency began, around 50 to Palermo on August 11 alone, and another 22 flights to Trapani.

The website of Catania International Airport, operated by SAC, reports that 50 flights scheduled for August 12 will depart from other airports: 33 from Palermo, 14 from Trapani, and three from Comiso. Also on August 12, 40 arriving flights were diverted to Palermo, 12 to Trapani, and five to Comiso. The airlines most affected by the schedule changes include Ryanair, EasyJet, ITA Airways, and Wizz Air, which operate the largest number of flights to Vincenzo Bellini Airport.

Closure of Catania Airport extended until August 14

SAC, the company managing Catania Airport, announced that "due to the eruption of Mount Etna and emissions of volcanic ash, the closure of the airspace has been extended to sector B3, and arriving and departing flights from Catania Airport have been suspended until 2:00 a.m. on August 14." "Passengers are asked to check the status of their flights with their airlines before traveling to the airport," the SAC statement quoted by Sky TG24 says.