Flights resume at Italy’s Catania after Etna ash disruption
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Smoke rising from a crater of Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, in Belpasso, Italy, on July 23.
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ROME - Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted for much of the day on July 23 after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, bringing fresh travel woes during the peak summer tourist season.
Reduced volcanic activity meant that departures were able to resume from 6pm (midnight on July 24, Singapore time), with some arrivals to be allowed two hours later and the airport due to be fully operational by 10pm, the airport operator said on X.
Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has seen intense activity in recent days, spewing hot ash and lava.
Some of the ash had drifted on to runways and aircraft.
The airport had already been closed earlier in July due to ash in the sky.
It acts as a hub for the east of Sicily and attracts more arrivals than the capital Palermo.
The airline operator had earlier warned that the suspension of flights on July 23 would cause cancellations or the rerouting of traffic to other airports. REUTERS
