On Sunday, the eruption of Europe’s most active volcano covered Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) and its runways in ash. This led to the airport halting operations on the grounds of safety concerns, with scores of flights being canceled or diverted.
According to data from the aviation analytics firm, Cirium, the eruption had led to the cancelation of 68 flights by 17:00 on May 21st – the cancelations were made up of 44 departing flights and 24 arrivals. The number of flights affected was expected to continue to rise overnight.
All this took place on the day that Catania-Fontanarossa Airport was scheduled to be the sixth-busiest airport in Italy, with a total of 253 departures and arrivals scheduled throughout the day.
Mount Etna’s last major eruption was in 1992, but the volcano’s many minor eruptions spurt ash and lava high over the Mediterranean island on a more regular basis. The airport, located on the east coast of Sicily, is situated just 32 km (20 miles) from Mount Etna.
The latest update
Staff at Catania-Fontanarossa Airport took to Twitter to advise that the airport would be operational again, albeit with some limitations, as of 09:00 on May 22nd:
Other Twitter users shared their photos of the eruption, clearly showing the ash lingering in the skies over the airport and the surrounding area:
Home to one of Europe’s busiest air routes
Catania Airport connects the city of Catania and the east coast of Sicily to a growing number of destinations across Italy, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Last year, the airport saw over 10 million passengers.
Photo: ITA Airways | Avolon
The longest route from Catania is to Dubai International Airport (DXB), operated by the UAE-based carrier flydubai. The airport is also home to the busiest air route in the country, and the second-busiest in Europe – Catania to Rome Fiumicino (FCO). Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) is the island’s other major international airport.
Have your travel plans been affected by this latest eruption of Mount Etna? Which route and airline were you due to be flying with? Let us know by commenting below.
Source: Cirium