Italy’s Catania Airport Reopens After 2 Days of Forced Shutdown Due to Etna Volcano Eruption
Respective authorities at Catania Airport of Sicily region, a popular destination for international tourists to Italy, have announced that the hub has reopened on Tuesday early morning, following two days of being shut down due to the region’s most active volcano.
According to a press release by Catania Airport issued on Monday, due to the eruptive activity of Etna and the volcanic ash, flights were suspended until Monday evening, and the measure was further extended until Tuesday morning as the situation didn’t improve, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
However, the airport is now operating flights, right on time for the national bank holiday of Ferragusto, which is widely celebrated by Italians.
“The management company of the Catania airport announces that starting from 6 this morning, the airport is back in operation. Passengers are requested to inquire about the status of their flight with the airlines. Information on the airport’s general operations is available on the airport’s official website,” the statement reads.
The eruption has now stopped but the roads are covered in ash so Catania’s mayor has banned the use of motorcycles until Wednesday and drivers are not allowed to drive over 30 kilometres per hour.
The airport, which is 50 kilometres away from the eruption, usually operates around 200 flights in a day and flights that cannot be operated there are often diverted to other airports in Sicily. That also was the case on Monday, with some flights being diverted to other hubs in the region, such as Comiso and Palermo airports. However, about 95 per cent of flights scheduled on that day were cancelled.
This certainly isn’t the first time that Catania Airport had to cancel flights due to the Etna eruption as it has been particularly active in the last four years, forcing the airport to close once every few months.
The most recent shutdown of the Sicilian hub was ordered last month, as a fire, which luckily didn’t cause any victims, forced the Catania Airport to close and stop operating its schedule.
Euronews reports that airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet have warned their passengers over possible delays while the other airports in Sicily, such as Comisio were affected more by the eruption. Air traffic to Malta has also witnessed ash clouds from the eruption and was advised to avoid it.
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