Italy’s Catania Airport Shut Down Because of Mount Etna Eruption
by Daniel McCarthy /Sicily’s Catania International Airport (CTA) was forced to shut down on Tuesday because of an eruption at nearby Mount Etna.
According to reports, Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, erupted early Tuesday, sending ash into the sky and forcing the airport to suspend all incoming and outgoing flights.
“Due to the eruptive activity and ash emission, flight operations have been suspended,” the airport wrote in a message on Tuesday.
While there are some significant cancellations, some flights are being rerouted to other airports in the area, including Palermo and Comiso. Catania is one of the major airports serving Sicily, with more passenger traffic than either Palermo or Comiso, as well as other Italian airports including Venice Marco Polo, and Bologna.
There is currently no timeline as to when the airport will reopen. All passengers should check with their airline before heading to the airport.