The airport in Catania, Sicily, has been temporarily closed after a major fire. Operations should now be completely suspended until Wednesday. Travelers must expect massive restrictions.
On the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily, all flight operations have been suspended until next Wednesday due to a fire at Catania Airport. A fire broke out at the airport on Monday night, which the emergency services were able to extinguish in the early hours of the morning. No injuries were reported.
“We thank the firefighters, state authorities, first responders and the airport community for the quick response,” the airport said in a Facebook statement. However, due to the effects of the fire, all flights would have to be suspended until 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Reuters news agency reported that there was no information on the possible causes of the fire or a possible connection with the current high temperatures in the region. Catania was one of several Italian cities for which the red heat warning level was declared on Sunday.
Current information from airlines
Due to the temporary closure, significant restrictions are now expected for Italian passengers as well as foreign travelers. The airport urged passengers to contact their respective airlines for up-to-date information on their flights. The Mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino, asked not to come to the airport “due to foreseeable serious traffic disruptions”.
After the nationwide strike in air traffic in Italy last Saturday, this incident in the middle of the main travel season again led to severe restrictions on flight operations. The east coast of Sicily with the cities of Taormina, Syracuse and many other locations is extremely popular with tourists. Various airlines also fly to Catania from Germany every day.
Catania’s airport is Italy’s fifth-busiest airport – according to data from Assaeroporti, the Italian Airports Association, it handled more than a million passengers in May.