Etna erupts ash for fifth day, Catania airport closed

Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, continues its prolonged eruption, spewing ash for a fifth consecutive day and significantly impacting air travel across Sicily. Catania's main airport, a vital gateway for millions of tourists during Italy's summer peak season, has been forced to close its doors due to the dense volcanic ash cloud.

The closure, extended until early Saturday morning, comes just before Ferragosto, a major Italian holiday when travel is at its zenith. Hundreds of passengers face flight cancellations and disruptions, with services rerouted to other Sicilian airports. This has led to increased costs for taxis and car rentals, prompting consumer protection groups like Codacons to file complaints regarding unjustified price hikes.

Volcanic ash poses a severe threat to aviation, capable of clogging aircraft engines and causing catastrophic failures. Boris Benke, a researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology at the Etna Observatory, emphasized the extreme caution required. "That's why everyone is very careful about flying during volcanic ash emissions," he stated.

While Etna frequently disrupts flights, the current eruption's duration and continuous ash emission are unusual. This event marks the longest airport closure due to Etna's activity since 2002. Smaller amounts of ash have been carried by northerly winds as far as Malta and North Africa, underscoring the widespread impact of this persistent volcanic event.

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That's why everyone is very careful about flying during volcanic ash emissions