Etna eruption extends closure of Sicily's Catania airport until Saturday
Volcanic ash has disrupted air traffic for seven days as southerly winds push the plume toward the airport area, officials said.
- Mount Etna's seven-day eruption has forced Catania airport to extend flight suspension until 08:00 on August 14, stranding hundreds of travelers during Sicily's peak Ferragosto holiday week.
- Southerly winds are pushing a continuous ash plume from the Voragine crater toward the airport, prompting Civil Protection and Sea Policies official Nello Musumeci to state, "It is not the volcano that is out of place, but the airport."
- Salvo Gambino, director of the Etnean Observatory at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, noted the seven-day duration is distinctive, likely driven by "magma rising from greater depth and richer in gas."
- Crowds flocking to observe Mount Etna have created chaotic traffic and safety hazards on unstable slopes, leading nature guide Cristian Alessi of EtnaWay to warn that viewing "has to be done safely, with guides."
- The Alpine Rescue service and Gambino urged extreme caution for hikers, advising visitors to "go to areas where it is possible to watch without venturing too far" while carrying torches after dark.
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106 Articles
A reaction engine suctions huge amounts of air. If that air contains volcanic ash, along with the air, thousands and thousands of tiny abrasive fragments are sucked in.
This is what emerges from the most recent evaluations of the crisis committee in coordination with Enav, the Ingv, the Air Force and the airport manager. Hopefully in the change of direction of the wind.
For several days now, the main Sicilian airport has been closed due to ash cracked by the most active volcanoes in Europe, making flights dangerous in the area. A situation of unprecedented magnitude since 2002 and which could be prolonged during the weekend of 14 and 15 August.
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Etna eruption extends closure of Sicily's Catania airport
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early tomorrow because of ash from Mount Etna's ongoing volcanic activity, which has forced hundreds of flights to be cancelled or rerouted over the past week.
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