Catania airport resumes flights as Mount Etna aviation alert is downgraded
Flights have resumed at Catania airport in Sicily after authorities lowered the aviation alert level linked to renewed activity from Mount Etna, allowing the busy southern Italian airport to reopen following days of disruption.
The airport confirmed on Saturday that operations were restarting after the volcanic aviation warning was reduced from red to orange.
Volcanic ash disrupts flights across Sicily
Mount Etna’s recent eruptions have generated ash clouds that repeatedly affected air traffic around eastern Sicily.
The disruption forced Catania airport to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights over the past week, affecting passengers travelling to and from one of Italy’s busiest tourist destinations.
The airport had announced on Friday that all flights would be suspended until 1 p.m. GMT on Saturday as authorities continued to assess the risks posed by volcanic activity.
Alert level lowered from red to orange
The resumption of flights followed the decision to downgrade the aviation alert associated with Etna from red to orange.
The change indicated that conditions had improved sufficiently for airport operations to restart, although volcanic activity remained an important factor for aviation authorities and airport operators.
The reopening does not necessarily mean that disruptions have completely ended. Volcanic ash can pose a serious hazard to aircraft engines and can lead to rapid changes in flight schedules when atmospheric conditions deteriorate.
Catania remains a key travel hub
Catania airport is the fifth-busiest airport in Italy by passenger traffic, making interruptions there particularly significant during the peak summer travel season.
The latest disruption came as Sicily experiences heavy tourism activity, meaning that cancelled and diverted flights have the potential to affect large numbers of travellers.
With Etna continuing to show volcanic activity, airlines and passengers are likely to remain dependent on ongoing assessments of the aviation alert level.
For now, the reduction to orange has allowed Catania airport to resume operations, providing a measure of relief after several days of disruption.
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