Etna eruption forces Catania airport to suspend arrivals, flights resume by evening

Eruption and airspace closure

Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano at 3,324 metres, erupted on Saturday morning 8 August 2026, expelling large quantities of smoke and volcanic ash into the atmosphere. A dense cloud of smoke and ash escaped from the volcano, which ranks among the most active in the world. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported "the continuation of intense explosive activity" from the volcano, with webcam images on the institute's website showing a column of smoke still rising from the summit. The institute permanently monitors Etna's activity, filming it and broadcasting images online.

The ash cloud led Catania airport to close the affected airspace, designated sector C1.

Due to the eruptive activity of Etna and the resulting emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, the airspace corresponding to the cloud (sector C1) has been closed.

Flight disruptions

All arriving flights at Catania airport were suspended until 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT). The airport specified that departures of aircraft already at the airport were proceeding normally for the time being. A further assessment of the situation was scheduled for noon to decide whether to resume arrivals.

The disruption struck during the August holiday crossover period, one of the busiest travel windows of the year for Italian tourism. Catania International Airport serves the eastern part of Sicily, one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations and one of the main entry points to the island. Approximately 12 million passengers transited through the airport in 2024. The airport had already been paralysed for several hours during a similar eruption event in 2024.

Resumption of operations

Later in the day, the volcanic alert level was lowered from red to orange, indicating a reduction in the immediate risk to aviation. The downgrade allowed the airport to resume operations.

Following the lowering of the volcanic alert level from red to orange, the resumption of air operations has been authorised with immediate effect.

The airport added that landing services were being progressively restored. By Saturday late afternoon, planes were again able to land at Catania. The institute still reported ongoing intense explosive activity as of Saturday afternoon, with the smoke plume visible on webcam images.

Etna's recent activity

Etna's current active phase began on 26 December 2025, and the volcano has been periodically producing ash emissions since. In early July, it produced lava flows that were easily managed by local emergency services, who are accustomed to such phenomena. In June 2025, an eruption sent an ash plume rising to 6.5 kilometres in altitude. Despite the impressive ash plume, authorities assured there was no danger to the population, and the airport remained operational even under a red alert for aviation.

During the summer of 2024, Catania airport was closed on several occasions following multiple eruptions. The volcano has experienced frequent eruptions over the past 500,000 years and ranks among the most active in the world.