When nature disrupts air traffic. All flights departing from and arriving at the Sicilian airport of Catania are canceled on Monday, and now until 8 p.m., due to an eruption of Mount Etna, whose ashes fall on the airspace, announced the airport.
Earlier in the day, she said departing and arriving flights were only canceled until 11 a.m., asking passengers to check with their airline for further information.
Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe
At the same time, the mayor of Catania Enrico Trantino signed a decree “prohibiting for the next 48 hours the circulation of two-wheelers, bicycles and motorcycles, since many areas of the city are covered with a layer of volcanic ash” , the municipality said on its website.
Culminating at 3,324 meters, Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe. It has erupted frequently over the past 500,000 years. Last year, around 10 million passengers passed through Catania International Airport, which serves the eastern part of Sicily, one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations.