Catania Airport suspends flights as Mount Etna sends ash cloud over Sicily

Catania Airport in Sicily suspended all incoming flights Saturday after Mount Etna’s renewed eruption sent an ash plume approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) high, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

The eruption prompted a red aviation warning and the closure of airspace sector C1, forcing the airport to impose restrictions on both landings and takeoffs.

Catania Airport said all incoming flights were suspended until 4 pm local time on Sept. 26 due to volcanic ash from Mount Etna.

Before the suspension, the airport had reduced its capacity to four landings per hour, compared with the normal rate of 12.

At least 10 flights operated by ITA Airways were diverted before the full suspension. Five flights were diverted to Palermo, three flights to Trapani and two to Comiso. A Volotea flight was also rerouted to Comiso.

The airport’s Operational Coordination Unit subsequently closed sector C1, imposing a zero-landing and zero-takeoff restriction.

The ash plume was generated by renewed activity at Mount Etna’s northeast crater, according to INGV.