Operations have resumed at Catania-Fontanarossa Airport after Italian authorities lowered the volcanic aviation alert for Mount Etna, allowing flights to restart following disruption caused by the volcano’s latest eruption.
Airport operator SAC said on Monday that flight operations resumed with immediate effect after the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reduced the volcanic alert level from red to orange. Departures and arrivals have now resumed.
The decision followed an updated Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) issued by the Etna Observatory, which reported a decline in strombolian activity from the volcano’s summit craters and a reduction in ash emissions. According to the observatory, the remaining ash activity was confined to the Voragine crater area.
Catania Airport had been closed since overnight between Sunday and Monday, with the suspension of arrivals and departures extended several times over the previous 48 hours.
During the disruption, dozens of flights were diverted to Palermo, Trapani-Birgi and Comiso airports. Comiso remained the only Sicilian airport operating normally throughout the emergency. Regional authorities also activated alternative transport arrangements, including shuttle buses from diversion airports and additional train services between Palermo, Messina and Catania.
SAC advised passengers to check the status of their flights with their airlines before travelling to the airport, warning that operational disruptions may continue as normal services are restored.
Separately, the latest update from the Etna Observatory said strombolian activity at Mount Etna’s summit craters continues to decline and ash emissions have decreased, although volcanic tremor remains at medium-to-high levels, indicating continued energy within the volcano’s magmatic system.
The latest eruption also prompted the closure of the airspace above the U.S. air base at Sigonella in Sicily. The ash plume led to 17 inbound flights that had been due to land in Catania being diverted to Palermo.
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