Wildfires Temporarily Close Airport in Sicily

Palermo Airport in Sicily closed for a few hours on Tuesday morning due to nearby wildfires, according to Reuters and The Guardian. 

The airport, located in the southern Italian island’s capital city, reopened late Tuesday morning after firefighters quelled the blaze. Due to the temporary closure, one flight was diverted to Trapani airport, and another was delayed two hours, said Aeropuerto di Palermo on Twitter. 

Italy has put 16 cities on red alert for extreme heat, including the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Catania, according to Reuters. Last week, the airport in Catania closed due to a fire in a terminal building and has only reopened for a few flights, the news outlet reported.  

Temperatures rose to 47.6 Celsius (117.7 Fahrenheit) in eastern Sicily on Monday, close to a European record high on the island of 48.8 Celsius two years ago. The high temperatures have reportedly caused water and power outages in the region. 

In northern Italy, heavy storms have also caused air travel disruptions. A Delta flight leaving from Milan Malpensa Airport for JFK in New York was hammered with hail and forced to divert and land in Rome on Monday, according to the Associated Press. 

“The flight landed safely and passengers deplaned normally. The aircraft sustained some damage during the bad weather which is being reviewed by our local maintenance team,″ Delta said in a statement.