Ash From Sicily's Mount Etna Suspends Arrivals at Airport
Thick ash clouds rose to 7,300 metres and forced red aviation warnings as Trenitalia added extra trains for stranded passengers.
- On Friday, August 7, 2026, a dramatic eruption from Mount Etna forced safety controllers to shut down Vincenzo Bellini Airport in Catania, causing severe travel chaos for holidaymakers attempting to fly into or out of Sicily.
- Eruptive activity centered on the Voragine crater before opening a fresh fissure along the Valle del Leone at an altitude of roughly 2,750 metres, with thick plumes of dark volcanic ash reaching 7,300 metres high across Sicily.
- Because Catania sits just 30 kilometres south of the summit, wind-blown ash plumes forced airlines to divert incoming jets to Palermo, Trapani, and Comiso, while outbound journeys were grounded due to lack of available planes.
- Civil protection volunteers deployed across regional terminals to assist stranded passengers, while rail operator Trenitalia added emergency train services through Messina and Palermo, providing hundreds of extra seats for holidaymakers.
- Mount Etna remains Europe's most active volcano, and flight disruptions at the airport happen several times a year as authorities routinely suspend operations until ash clears and runways are swept clean.
49 Articles
49 Articles
In Sicily, nature makes a mark on tourists: volcano Etna has broken out again. Air traffic at Catania airport is stopped for a short time.
On Saturday morning, Mount Etna again spewed a significant amount of ash into the air, which led to restrictions being imposed at Catania airport, writes Időkép based on Catania Today. According to reports, the reception of incoming planes was suspended for a while, but flights took off without any problems on Saturday morning. The newspaper called the attention of passengers departing from the airport to check their flights before departure to …
Etna ash disrupts Catania flights
Zeit Online
INTELLINEWSAt Catania airport all arrivals were temporarily cancelled in the middle of the holiday period. Etna had previously ejected volcanic ash.
Incoming flights to Catania airport had to be temporarily suspended on Saturday morning. Air traffic was able to resume in the afternoon.
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