Etna eruption closes Catania airport through Friday, cancelling nearly 700 flights

Eruption and airport closures

Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, began erupting on Friday, August 7, ejecting large quantities of ash and incandescent rock fragments. Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported massive lava streams flowing from two craters at elevations of 2,360 and 2,750 metres, with two additional lava flows later forming on the volcano's slopes. The ash cloud drifted over eastern Sicily, forcing the suspension of all flight operations at Catania-Fontanarossa airport from August 8. The airport, one of the most important on the island, saw its closure extended three separate times on Wednesday, August 12, as volcanic activity continued unabated.

The managing company announced the latest extension on Wednesday evening: all departures and arrivals remain suspended until 2 AM on Friday, August 14. Earlier in the day, the closure had been pushed to 4 PM on Thursday, August 13. The airport at Comiso was also affected, with operations suspended until 10 AM on Thursday. Ash from the eruption even caused delays at Malta's airport, which some tourists had chosen as an emergency departure point.

Scale of disruption

Since the current phase of Etna's activity began on August 8, nearly 700 flights have been cancelled at Catania airport. Of those, 250 were redirected to other airports in Comiso, Palermo, and Trapani, according to information released on August 12. Corriere della Sera reported that 190 flights alone were diverted to Palermo. The consumer rights organisation Altroconsumo estimated that approximately 100,000 people have been affected by cancellations, delays, and disruptions, while Corriere della Sera put the number of affected passengers at around 30,000.

The crisis coincides with the peak of Italy's summer holiday season, particularly the period around August 15, the most popular vacation time in the country. Sicily receives approximately 6 million tourists annually. Hotels on the island are fully booked, and some stranded travellers had to sleep at the airport. Thousands of people have been trying to leave the island by purchasing train and ferry tickets, while foreign tourists often travel at their own expense to alternative airports, including Palermo and Trapani, where operations continue largely without disruption.

Official response

Regional authorities have organised over 100 bus connections to transport passengers to other airports, according to Renato Schifani, president of the Sicily region. Schifani stated that the situation confirms the need to strengthen other airports on the island. Carriers operating flights to and from Catania have been redirecting aircraft to Palermo, Trapani, and Calabria.

Civil Defense Minister Nello Musumeci, a former president of the Sicily region, said the current problems at Catania airport again highlight a long-standing issue. He noted that he had already pointed out in 1999 the limitations of Catania-Fontanarossa airport and its particular vulnerability to problems arising from its proximity to Etna. A proposal to relocate the airport was included in the local spatial development plan.

It is not the volcano that is in the wrong place, but the airport.

Travellers' experiences

Natalia Guziuk, a Polish woman who has lived in Sicily for 30 years, described the situation at the airports as disorganised. She said she has experienced many eruptions and associated air travel problems over the years.

I am very sorry that we have such disorganisation, that people are suffering so much at these airports, because this is a matter of chaos. Sicilians cannot organise themselves to deal with this, because it should be coordinated somehow. (...) At these airports it is the third world.

Internet content creator Kajetano, who managed to arrange his own return from Sicily, advised passengers whose Wizz Air flights were cancelled not to accept immediate ticket refunds if they incurred additional costs organising their own return travel, as this could mean losing the right to claim those expenses.

The airport management has repeatedly appealed to passengers to contact their airlines for the latest information before travelling to the airport. Decisions on resuming air traffic depend on Etna's activity, and local media emphasise that it is difficult to predict when operations will fully resume.