Mount Etna erupts in Sicily, disrupting flights at Catania airport

Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, erupted on Saturday, sending plumes of smoke and ash into the sky and causing lava to flow down its slopes. The eruption occurred during the peak tourist season on the popular Italian island of Sicily.

Catania's airport, located near the volcano, experienced disruptions to its flight schedule. All incoming flights were temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure due to the "eruptive activity" and the resulting ash cloud. While departures continued as planned initially, arrivals were halted. The airport authorities later announced the resumption of flight operations in the late afternoon after the alert level was downgraded from red to orange.

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported intense explosive activity with fluctuating phases of eruption. This is not the first time Etna has disrupted air travel; a similar ash cloud in July caused significant delays. Catania Airport handles approximately twelve million passengers annually, highlighting the impact of such events on a key tourist hub. Etna, standing at 3,324 meters, has been erupting regularly for at least 500,000 years.