Italy Volcano Ash Cloud Cancels Hundreds of Flights at Catania Airport
The ongoing eruption of an Italy volcano in Sicily has produced a persistent ash cloud that has forced the repeated closure of Catania Airport, cancelling around 700 flights between August 8 and 11 and leaving thousands of tourists, including British visitors, stranded. [1]
Ongoing Eruption and Ash Impact
The eruption has involved multiple vents in the Valle del Bove producing lava flows and strong strombolian activity with ash emissions that have continued for seven days without signs of abating. [1] Companies organising nighttime hikes so participants can watch the eruption up close say they have been flooded with calls. [2] The tallest active volcano in Europe, Etna has been spewing ash and lava for days. [2] The activity of the volcano is sustained and quite stable, but for the moment it would be risky to make predictions. [5] The director of the Etna Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Salvatore Gambino explained that the activity is sustained and quite stable. [5] The activity has reached the seventh day of volcanic activity and is quite sustained and complex. [5] There is both activity at the summit crater of Voragine, with ash emission and very strong strombolian activity that turns into a fountain, and a complex lava field that comes out from four active mouths located in the Valle del Bove. [5] In these last days the activity has not given indications of regression and is quite stable. [5] The problems with the airport stop are due mainly to the winds that move the ash making operations difficult. [5]
Flight Cancellations at Catania Airport
Tourists gather near Mount Etna during its ongoing eruption in Sicily. — Source: gdelt Around 700 flights were cancelled at Catania Airport between August 8 and 11 as volcanic ash from the eruption disrupted operations. [3] The problems are continuing with a further 52 departing flights expected to be cancelled according to airport operator SAC. [3] More than 250 flights have also been diverted to other airports since the disruption began. [3] More than 100 were redirected to Comiso while around 50 were sent to Palermo yesterday alone and another 22 to Trapani. [3] All arrivals and departures at Catania have now been suspended until 4pm tomorrow as restrictions on nearby airspace remain in place. [3] SAC said due to Mount Etna's eruptive activity and the associated release of volcanic ash into the atmosphere the closure of the areas corresponding to the southwest air cloud sector C1 and the closure of sector B3 have been extended. [3] All flight operations departing from and arriving at Catania airport are suspended until 4:00 PM tomorrow. [3] Passengers have also been urged to check the status of their flights with airlines before travelling to the airport. [3] Comiso Airport in the Ragusa area has since returned to full operation after flights there were also suspended due to volcanic ash from Mount Etna. [3] Catania is Sicily’s busiest airport and the fifth busiest in Italy. [3]
Tourists Stranded in Sicily
A British couple are stranded in Sicily after a huge ash cloud from Mount Etna's eruption grounded flights out of the island. [1] On August 7 Evgenia Filimianova 39 from London flew from Athens to Catania Sicily to attend a friend's wedding in Taormina with her husband. [1] They were one of the last flights from Athens allowed to land at Catania Airport the biggest airport on the island. [1] After travelling to Catania Airport for their flight back home on August 11 they found out their flight was cancelled thirty minutes before it was set to depart. [1] The couple who live in London but are staying in Athens for August are still stranded in Sicily trying to find their way back home. [1] Meanwhile their seven-year-old daughter is stuck with family in Athens. [1] When Evgenia and her husband first landed in Sicily they watched Mount Etna erupting from the wedding venue in Taormina. [1] Evgenia and her husband stayed in Taormina until they travelled to Catania for their flight back home which was scheduled for August 11. [1] They arrived at Catania airport and there were loads and loads of people there. [1] There were people sleeping on the floor families stuck just lots of people all trying to get out. [1] They waited for their flight and then 30 minutes before they were meant to depart it was cancelled and rescheduled for the next day. [1] Evgenia and her husband spent the night in a hotel hoping to fly without problem the next day. [1] But on August 12 Catania Airport announced there would be no arrivals or departures due to the ash cloud above the island. [1] It feels like there is no way out. [1] The buses and trains are fully booked the airports are closed the taxis are too expensive the hotels are getting booked up. [1] Every option to travel is already taken by someone else. [1] The couple are now planning to get to Malta and then make their way back to Athens from there. [1] The plan is to get a cab to the bus station then a three hour bus to Porto di Pozzallo then a ferry to Malta then a cab to a hotel stay there overnight and then a cab to the airport. [1] The couple have already spent a huge amount of money on emergency travel and accommodation. [1] We must have already spent at least £1,000. [1] And we don't even know if our insurance will pay out. [1] Emotionally it's not easy. [1] It's stressful and tiring and we weren't prepared for it. [1] We're acting like 24/7 booking agents. [1] I'm constantly on the phone constantly figuring out connections and travel. [1] Currently Catania Airport has suspended all arrivals and departures until 4pm on August 13 but they have advised everyone to check the local travel advice before making their way to the airport. [1] Flights are still operating from Palermo Airport on the north of the island but Evgenia has said that flights from there are fully booked. [1]
Surge in Volcano Tourism and Safety Concerns
Mount Etna volcano in Sicily emits ash plume during sustained eruption. — Source: gdelt Spectacular images of lava flowing down the slopes of an erupting Mount Etna have drawn flocks of tourists to the Italian volcano to the worry of local guides. [2] Companies that organise nighttime hikes allowing participants to watch the eruption up close say they have been flooded with calls. [2] They all want to come and see the lava flow everyone is drawn to this unique beauty Daniele Perricelli 41 a local guide told AFP on Wednesday. [2] Perricelli's group Guide Etna takes a few dozen visitors up the volcano every evening but is currently receiving about 300 requests a day three times what it gets on an average summer day he said. [2] Ernesto Maria Magri another local guide called it a touristic eruption that appeals to many people because it can be observed in relative safety. [2] Even though the volcano erupts frequently he said many local residents were also climbing up to see the lava and sometimes crowd round in a disorderly way. [2] Unwilling or unable to secure a guide many venture up on their own. [2] That is potentially risky said Perricelli explaining the volcano was unstable and it was important to be with someone who could read the mountain. [2] There are up to 2,000 people climbing up every evening the footpaths are overcrowded. [2] Yesterday we saw some wearing flip-flops he added calling on authorities to be more vigilant. [2] Some climbers including Italian TV host Diletta Leotta have been criticised on social media for taking photos seemingly too close to glowing lava. [2] Yet guides said it is possible to come within a few metres of the volcanic flow in lower altitude areas where it has already cooled down. [2] Under current rules visitors can climb up to around 2,400 metres of altitude on their own but need to be accompanied by a guide to go higher tour operators say. [2] The summit is at 3,324 metres. [2] Italy's civil protection agency has issued a yellow alert for Etna the second on a four-step scale going from green to red which entails frequent eruptions and possible explosions. [2] Ash emissions have caused Catania airport to repeatedly halt flights over the past few days with Italian media reporting hundreds of flights have been cancelled since Saturday. [2] The airport operator said Wednesday arrivals and departures would remain suspended until 4:00 pm on Thursday. [2] Around 12 million passengers transited in 2024 through Catania International Airport which services the eastern part of Sicily one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations. [2]
Passenger Rights and Economic Consequences
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at Catania Airport since August 8 due to the eruption of Etna. [4] A situation that is obviously causing discomfort directly or indirectly to tens of thousands of passengers arriving or departing or in transit at the airport and which does not seem destined to be resolved in the next few hours. [4] The Sac the company that manages Catania airport has made known that due to the eruptive activity of Etna and the contextual emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere the extension of the closure of the spaces corresponding to the air cloud to the South-West sector C1 and the closure of sector B3 has been ordered. [4] Sac has made known that all flight activities departing and arriving at Catania airport are suspended until 4pm tomorrow. [4] The company has also invited passengers to check the status of their flight with the airlines before going to the airport. [4] Passengers in any case have the right to refunds and assistance. [4] According to what was stated by RimborsoAlVolo a company specialised in air transport passengers involved in the air disruptions caused by the most recent eruptions of Etna have the right to refunds and assistance as provided for by EC Regulation 261/2004. [4] According to RimborsoAlVolo even in exceptional circumstances such as that recorded in these hours due to intense volcanic activity if the airline cancels or delays the flight the latter has the obligation to guarantee assistance to passengers in the form of meals and drinks in relation to the duration of the wait accommodation in a hotel in the event that one or more overnight stays are necessary transfer from the airport to the place of accommodation and vice versa two telephone calls or messages via email. [4] In the event that the company is not able to guarantee assistance at that moment and the passenger has had to pay personally for meals drinks taxis or hotels the carrier is obliged to reimburse the expenses incurred provided they are reasonable and appropriate. [4] For this purpose it is necessary to keep all receipts attesting to such expenses better if nominal especially for taxis. [4] In the event that a flight was cancelled due to the problems encountered at the airport the airline must offer the choice between reimbursement of the ticket and in the event of a connection a return flight to the airport of departure as soon as possible boarding on another flight to the final destination as soon as possible or boarding on another flight on a later date. [4] Monetary compensation of up to 600 euros per passenger is not provided for as this is a case of force majeure the delay or cancellation of the flight is not attributable to the responsibility of the airline Kathrin Cois general director of RimborsoAlVolo specified. [4] According to Altroconsumo more than 100,000 passengers have already suffered disruptions due to the eruption. [4] The association also underlines that several dozen flights have been diverted to other airports in Sicily especially to Palermo since the activities of Comiso in the Ragusa area have also been strongly conditioned by the volcano. [4] Altroconsumo also underlines that in this case for the airlines it is configured as the so-called force majeure and therefore passengers are not entitled to further compensation. [4] In any case this does not eliminate the other rights provided for in the event of flight cancellation as listed above. [4] Meanwhile the economic damage caused by the eruption of Etna is beginning to be counted according to Assoercenti Sicilia due to the volcanic activity in four days the volume of tourist spending potentially involved could be indicatively between 12.8 and 24 million euros. [4] The association has asked to move from emergency management to preventive planning on the activity of the volcano proposing the creation of a Piano Etna Continuità turistica with a permanent control room that involves Sac Enac Enav Sicilian Region Civil Protection the airports of Palermo Comiso and Trapani airlines Trenitalia and representatives of tourism businesses. [4] We cannot stop Etna and we must certainly not question flight safety criteria but we can prepare ourselves the president of Assoercenti Sicilia Salvo Politino declared. [4] If we know that a natural phenomenon can determine the closure or limitation of Fontanarossa we must know in advance how to guarantee the continuity of connections and how to protect the tourism supply chain. [4]
Outlook from Volcanologists
The activity of the volcano is sustained and quite stable but for the moment it would be risky to make predictions. [5] We have arrived at the seventh day of volcanic activity and it is an activity that is quite sustained and complex explains Gambino. [5] We have both activity at the summit crater of Voragine with ash emission and very strong strombolian activity that turns into a fountain and a complex lava field that comes out from four active mouths located in the Valle del Bove. [5] An activity that in these last days has not given indications of regression and is quite stable. [5] How long it can last is not easy to know. [5] Gambino also explains that the prolonged stop of activities at the Etna airport is due mainly to the winds that move the ash making operations difficult. [5] We give communication on the presence of ash in the atmosphere but it is above all the direction of the winds that determines the problems at the airport he comments. [5] At this moment they are blowing from south-southwest and this creates problems for air traffic and no significant changes are expected in the next few hours. [5] It is difficult therefore at least according to the forecasts that the airport will return to operation during the day. [5] The eruptions of Etna are anything but a novelty for the people of Catania. [5] However the opening of several new mouths at the same time and the quantity of ash that has fallen make the event a little more complex than those of recent years. [5] Yesterday two more mouths opened one at an altitude of 1900 metres and one at 2090 metres always inside the Valle del Bove fortunately far from urban centres. [5] Overall however it is not an activity that raises concern for Gambino. [5]
What to watch next is the sustained activity at multiple vents in the Valle del Bove with ash emissions that show no signs of abating and the continuing role of wind direction in determining further airport restrictions.
