Catania Airport Closed Until Saturday Due to Etna Eruption

Flights at Catania airport in Sicily remain suspended through 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) on August 15 because of ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing volcanic activity, according to airport operator SAC. The ongoing eruption has forced the cancellation or rerouting of hundreds of flights over the past week, stranding thousands of travellers at Italy’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic.

Mount Etna Eruption Triggers Catania Airport Suspension

Volcanic activity from Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano, frequently disrupts operations at Catania airport. According to SAC, all arrivals and departures at the island hub are suspended through 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) on August 15. Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flights with their airlines before travelling to the airport.

Operating during the peak summer holiday season, these extended restrictions impact a multitude of passengers and place extra burdens on alternative Sicilian airfields. Aviation authorities view volcanic ash as a premier threat to flight safety due to its ability to ruin onboard equipment and trigger jet engine shutdowns. Back in 1982, a British Airways Boeing 747 encountered a total temporary loss of thrust across all four powerplants after traversing an ash plume originating from Indonesia’s Mount Galunggung, though the flight crew successfully restarted them later.

Severe Delays and Two-Decade Disruption Record

ANSA reported that SAC sources indicated this interruption is the worst to hit Catania airport in at least twenty years. From August 6 to August 12, upwards of one-third out of the 1,974 planned flights at Catania were called off, alongside approximately 630 services that were sent to alternative airports.

Countless voyagers remain grounded due to the extended shutdown, with individuals enduring multi-day waits inside the terminal by resting wherever possible and engaging in card games to pass the hours. Antonella Thirande Warnakulasuriya Costa, a resident of the Sicilian municipality of Messina who was en route to Sri Lanka through Dubai, mentioned to journalists that her itinerary faced continuous interruptions. “We were due to leave on Wednesday, but our flight was cancelled; then they rescheduled it for Friday. Now that one’s been cancelled too,” she said. Similarly, Matheus Paulo Neto, from Joao Pessoa in Brazil, said repeated schedule changes had turned the end of his holiday into a frustrating ordeal. “Our flight has been changed twice and we are trying to get to (the Sardinian city of) Olbia, but nobody has helped us. We don’t have any information, just emails that don’t explain everything about the changes,” he said.

Debate Over Airport Location and Infrastructure Planning

The mandatory suspension has reignited an enduring controversy throughout Sicily regarding whether the primary eastern aviation facility is positioned too close to the frequently erupting Mount Etna. Civil Protection Minister and former Sicily governor Nello Musumeci addressed the vulnerabilities in an official statement. “It is hard to deny that the events of recent days point to one conclusion: it is not the volcano that is in the wrong place, but the airport,” Musumeci said in a statement, adding that “The issue is real and deserves serious, long-term reflection in the planning of major infrastructure.”

Frequently Asked Questions

When will Catania airport reopen?

According to airport operator SAC, arrivals and departures will be suspended through 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) on August 15.

How many flights were cancelled due to the Etna eruption?

Out of 1,974 total flights originally planned for Catania between August 6 and August 12, more than 35% were scrapped, alongside roughly 630 aircraft being redirected elsewhere.

What are the risks of volcanic ash to aircraft?

Air travel specialists rank volcanic debris as an extreme danger because it can impair plane mechanisms and cause turbine failure.