Etna closes Catania airport again
A new eruption of Etna has once again halted air traffic in eastern Sicily. According to the morning update, 129 flights have been cancelled, 61 diverted, and Catania-Fontanarossa airport remains closed until at least 12:00 on Tuesday.
Catania Airport is entering a second day of disruption after a new emission of volcanic ash from Etna on Monday first halted arrivals and then all traffic. SAC, the airport operator, closed parts of the C1 and B3 airspace due to the direction the ash was spreading. Passengers have been advised to check their flight status with their airline before arriving at the terminal.
Red aviation alert remains in force
Overnight, the situation has not stabilised sufficiently for the resumption of normal traffic. The latest VONA aviation signal remains at the red level, accompanied by strong Strombolian activity at the summit craters and continued ash emission towards the south and south-east.
According to morning data reported by La Sicilia, 129 arriving and departing flights have been cancelled so far, while a further 61 flights have been diverted to Palermo, Trapani and Comiso. Comiso Airport has meanwhile become operational again.
Pressure is spilling over again to other Sicilian airports
For the tourism sector, the problem is no longer just the individual closure of Catania. This summer, Etna has already disrupted traffic multiple times, and during a particularly difficult period from 6th to 12th August, more than a third of the 1,974 scheduled flights were cancelled. Around 630 flights were then diverted to other airports.
Such a pattern increases pressure on Palermo, Comiso and Trapani, as well as on road transfers, hotel accommodation and tour operator operations. For DMCs and TMCs working with Sicily, an alternative airport and a pre-arranged land transfer are increasingly becoming part of a regular contingency plan rather than a solution for exceptional situations.
Catania remains a sensitive point for Sicilian tourism
Catania is the fifth busiest airport in Italy by passenger numbers, so the closure quickly affects a large number of international routes. Reuters states that this year's ash emissions have hit traffic particularly hard during the summer season.
