Sicily's Catania airport reopens after Mount Etna eruption forced days of flight disruptions
Catania airport resumed flights after Italy downgraded its Mount Etna aviation alert from red to orange, following a week of cancellations and diversions during peak summer travel. Per Reuters and Al Jazeera.
Catania's Fontanarossa airport in Sicily resumed flights around midday on August 15 after Italy downgraded the aviation alert for Mount Etna's eruption from red to orange, Reuters reported. Ash from the eruption had forced the cancellation or diversion of hundreds of flights over the previous week, with about 36% of nearly 2,000 arrivals cancelled between August 6 and 12, according to AP News. Catania is Italy's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic, handling around 12 million travelers in 2024, per AFP. Mount Etna, at 3,324 meters, is Europe's tallest active volcano. Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, AFP.