Mount Etna erupts: Flights canceled after Catania airport runway covered with volcanic ash

Europe’s largest active volcano Mount Etna erupted on Sunday, forcing a series of flights to and from Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) in Sicily to be canceled and delayed. Italy.

The volcanic eruption is believed to have left runways and other areas of Catania, the capital of Sicily, covered with volcanic ash, causing many airport services to be suspended until 9am. Monday, local time.

Catania-Fontanarossa Airport is just 32 km (20 mi) from Mount Etna. Before the eruption of Mount Etna, the airport was previously predicted to be the sixth-busiest airport in Italy on Sunday, serving more than 250 flights, according to flight data from syrup.

A statement from the CTA read: “Due to Etna’s eruption activity and the large amount of volcanic ash on the airport’s surface, flight operations are suspended until safe conditions are restored.”

At least 68 flights to and from the airport have been canceled as of 5 p.m. Sunday (44 departures and 24 arrivals), including 23 flights operated by Ryanair and six by EasyJet, according to the company. Cirium aeronautical analysis company. Flight knowledge The data shows that the number of flights being canceled is up to 34% at CTA, with 15% of flights being delayed.

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CTA serves more than 10 million passengers annually, and its Catania to Rome service is the busiest in Italy and the second busiest in Europe.

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) says it has recently seen an increase in seismic activity. The National Civil Protection Agency also shared a warning on Thursday saying that increased volcanic activity suggests “sudden” variations of Etna’s usual activity could take place.

Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and Europe’s largest, standing at more than 10,000 feet. Its last major eruption was in 1922. However, it erupted in early 2021, lasting several weeks.

In June 2022, TPG witnessed first-hand the power of Etna as the volcano erupted as they prepared to make landfall in Catania. On average, Etna erupts about 200 times per year, with most incidents causing only minor disruption.

The timing of the eruption was another blow to tourism in Italy, already reeling from a nationwide strike across the European nation on Friday that affected processing services. airport ground management.

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