The Italian airport of Catania-Fontanarossa, located on the island of Sicily, has halted all flight arrivals this Monday due to the recent expulsions of ash and rock fragments from the Etna volcano, which had already affected air traffic in the area in the previous days.
Departures have also been disrupted, forcing many travelers to move to the airport of the Sicilian capital, Palermo, or to opt for the train as an alternative, as reported by "DPA".
According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), powerful lava flows are emerging from two eruptive mouths located at 2,360 and 2,750 meters above sea level.
At this moment, the maximum alert level, red, is in effect, which implies that an eruption capable of generating a large column of ash is imminent or is already developing.
Etna, at more than 3,300 meters in height, erupts recurrently and remains under constant monitoring by scientific authorities.