Italy's Catania-Fontanarossa airport, located on the island of Sicily, has canceled up to 130 flights this Monday following the eruption of Mount Etna and the dense cloud of ash that complicates operations on the runway and in the airspace. In addition, another 50 flights have had to be redirected to the airports of Palermo, Comiso, and Trapani.
Specifically, all scheduled landings are canceled, while departures are also completely interrupted, at least until 6:00 p.m., awaiting the evolution of the volcanic phenomenon and safety conditions.
The aerodrome recommends travelers avoid traveling to the facilities if they have not first checked the current status of their flight with their airline. "More information will be provided shortly," the airport operator said in a statement published on its website.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology of Italy (INGV) has detailed that ash expulsions began in the early hours of Sunday from a fissure located at the summit of Etna, one of Europe's most active volcanoes.
Catania-Fontanarossa airport is the main one in all of southern Italy and is among the country's busiest, with a high volume of daily connections to Rome and Milan.