Etna ash cloud shuts Catania airport, flights suspended until Monday afternoon
A towering ash cloud from Mount Etna forced the closure of Catania's Fontanarossa airport on Monday, suspending all arrivals and departures until at least 2pm local time and diverting dozens of flights to Palermo and other airports.
Eruption timeline
Mount Etna began emitting ash on Sunday morning, 5 July, around 5:45 local time from a vent on the eastern flank of the Voragine crater. The plume intensified within an hour, reaching about 1.5 km above the summit and drifting south-southeast. A second ash cloud was observed at 3am on Monday, climbing to 4,500 m, according to Italy's Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA), which maintained a red alert level. The current eruptive phase started on 26 June with strombolian activity and lava flows; those flows ceased on 4 July, but the ash emission has now become the main hazard.
- Etna enters new eruptive phase with strombolian activity and lava flows.
- Small lava flow forms overnight, stops by morning of 3 July.
- Lava flows from late June cease.
- Ash emission begins from Voragine crater, intensifies within an hour, cloud reaches 1.5 km above summit.
- Catania airport limits arrivals to 5 per hour.
- Airspace sector C1 closed, all arrivals suspended; 23 flights diverted to Palermo.
- Second ash cloud observed, height 4,500 m, VONA red alert maintained.
- All flights suspended until 12:00, later extended to 14:00; passengers advised to check status.
Flight disruptions
Catania airport first limited arrivals to five per hour on Sunday afternoon. By evening, airspace sector C1 was closed and all inbound flights were suspended, though departures of aircraft already on the ground were still permitted. On Monday morning the airport operator, Sac, extended the stop to all flights, initially until noon and later until 2pm. The suspension may be prolonged further depending on volcanic and weather conditions.
Diversions and airline impact
Palermo's Falcone-Borsellino airport absorbed much of the diverted traffic, handling 23 extra flights on Sunday and expecting 17 more on Monday, on top of 33 additional movements the previous day. Other diversions went to Comiso, Trapani, Rome and Vienna. Carriers affected include Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, British Airways, Wizz Air, Iberia, Lufthansa, KLM, ITA Airways, SAS, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. Most cancelled services were European routes, but transatlantic flights to New York and Montreal were also hit.
Passenger advice
Sac has urged travellers not to come to the airport without first checking their flight status with the airline.
Passengers are asked not to go to the airport without first checking the status of their flight with the airline.
Comiso airport remains fully operational, and Palermo is managing the extra load without major disruption, with bus transfers arranged for passengers diverted there.
