Etna eruption halts arrivals at Sicily airport

Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupted on Saturday, sending plumes of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption forced a temporary suspension of flight arrivals at Catania Airport on the Italian island of Sicily.

The airport authorities cited "eruptive activity of Etna and the consequent emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere" as the reason for closing the airspace affected by the ash cloud. While arrivals were halted, departing flights from aircraft already at the airport continued to operate normally.

Later in the afternoon, the airport announced the resumption of operations after the volcanic activity alert was downgraded from red to orange. Images from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology showed a smoke column rising from the volcano's summit. Etna, standing at 3,324 meters, is Europe's highest active volcano and has a history of frequent eruptions over the past 500,000 years. Catania Airport is a key entry point for Sicily, which welcomed approximately 12 million passengers in 2024.