Catania Airport Shuts Down Runway After Mount Etna Eruption, Disrupting Summer Travel

Catania Airport in Sicily was forced to temporarily close its runway on Thursday after a volcanic eruption on the Italian island, disrupting travel plans at the peak of the summer season, Bloomberg reports.

The airport, located on the east coast of Sicily, saw approximately 75% of its departing flights cancelled, while nearly half of all arrivals, excluding diversions, were called off, according to aviation data company Cirium. Ryanair Holdings Plc was among the airlines most affected by the cancellations, followed by ITA Airways and EasyJet Plc.

“The runway is unusable due to a significant fall of volcanic ash on the airfield, and therefore, both arrivals and departures have been suspended,” the airport announced in a statement.

Ryanair is monitoring the situation, while EasyJet has rerouted some flights to Palermo, the capital of Sicily, and provided onward transport for passengers. Wizz Air Holdings Plc also reported cancellations to the hub.

Mount Etna has erupted multiple times in the past two months, causing disruption for airlines flying to Sicily. Volcanic ash particles can damage aircraft engines, windscreens, and fuselages.

Catania Airport expects to resume flights at 6 pm on Thursday.