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Sicily flights canceled and delayed after Mount Etna erupts

Aug. 14, 2023
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3 min read
Volcano Etna in Sicily seen through ruins of ancient amphitheater in Taormina
Sicily flights canceled and delayed after Mount Etna erupts
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Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, erupted Sunday evening, forcing a slew of cancellations and delays of flights operating to and from Catania Airport (CTA) in Sicily, Italy.

The volcanic eruption has left services in and out of the airport suspended until 8 p.m. local time Monday.

Catania Airport is just 32 kilometers (about 20 miles) from Mount Etna.

Before Mount Etna’s eruption, the airport was predicted to be the sixth-busiest airport in Italy on Monday, with 234 flights scheduled to depart and arrive — seven of which are return flights from the United Kingdom, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

A statement from CTA issued on X (formerly known as Twitter) read: "Due to Etna’s eruptive activity and fallout of volcanic ash, flight operations are suspended until 08:00 pm."

The disruptions come just weeks after the airport was forced to temporarily close following a fire in mid-July, and arrive just one day before Italy’s biggest national holiday, Ferragosto.

Flights scheduled to depart from the U.K. Monday morning with EasyJet are currently grounded and are expected to fall behind schedule by around nine hours, according to The Independent.

Ryanair has seen seven flights due to land at Catania on Monday morning diverted to Vincenzo Florio Civil Airport of Trapani — Birgi (TPS) in western Sicily.

British Airways, meanwhile, has canceled a flight planned for departure Monday to Catania.

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"​Due to the closure of Catania Airport, we've had to cancel our flight due to operate today," a British Airways spokesperson said. "We continue to monitor the situation and have been in contact with customers to apologise and offer options, including rebooking with us or another airline or a full refund."

Catania Airport was scheduled to see a total of 1,690 arrivals and departures this week, including 42 return departures from the U.K.

At least 46 flights to and from the airport have been canceled as of 12:30 p.m., according to FlightAware data, amounting to 36% of services in and out of the airport.

Related: 10 active volcanoes to see in your lifetime

CTA serves over 10 million passengers annually, and its Catania-to-Rome route is the busiest in Italy and second-busiest in Europe.

Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and Europe’s largest, at over 11,000 feet tall. Its last major eruption was in 1922. Catania Airport was forced to close in May after runways were left covered in volcanic ash following an eruption.

Mount Etna eruption view from arriving flight
View of Mount Etna erupting from an inbound flight to Catania in June 2022. JORDAN WALLER/THE POINTS GUY

On average, Etna erupts around 200 times per year, with most incidents causing only minor disruptions.

Related: Planning a trip to Italy? Here’s how to get there on points and miles

Featured image by STEFAN_ALFONSO/GETTY IMAGES
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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