Catania airport closes as Mount Etna erupts in Sicily.
At Catania Airport in Sicily, all flights have been canceled due to the nearby Mount Etna’s eruption, which is erupting smoke and lava. Officials said ash particles had covered planes and the runways.
All flights have been forced to cancel at Catania Airport in Sicily due to the eruption of nearby Mount Etna, which is spewing smoke and lava. Officials said ash particles had covered planes and the runways.
Every eruption of Etna attracts a sizable crowd of spectators.
An eruption of Sicily’s Mount Etna sent ash and lava gases high into the sky on Thursday and forced nearby Catania airport to cancel all flights in and out.
Officials said the runaway had been rendered unusable by ash particles that had settled on the airfield.
Officials from the airport stated that “both arrivals and departures have been suspended due to a significant fall of volcanic ash on the airfield, which is unusable due to the eruptive activity of Mount Etna and the simultaneous emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere.”
“Once the conditions of the flight infrastructure are restored, flight operations will resume.”
The airport also said it was unclear when the airport would once again be fully operational.
“Passengers are therefore urged not to go to the airport without first checking the status of their flight with the airline.”
Houses and streets around Catania were covered in dark gray dust.
