Chaos at Catania airport, risk of higher air fares — Etna erupts again

Catania-Fontanarossa airport has once again been brought to a standstill because of volcanic activity on Mount Etna, which has forced the authorities to halt flight operations.

Victims and police response

Sac, the company that manages the airport, has announced the closure of the relevant airspace because of the heavy emission of ash into the atmosphere and unfavourable wind conditions.

All arrivals and departures have officially been suspended until 23:59 on Sunday 27 September.

Flights were initially halted until 12:00, before the stop was extended.

In a bid to limit disruption, the company has urged passengers not to go to the terminal without first checking the status of their flight with their respective airlines.

On Saturday the shutdown had serious repercussions across the entire regional transport network.

The suspension of flights has in fact triggered a domino effect at other Sicilian airports such as Comiso, Palermo and Trapani, which suddenly became congested with the many aircraft diverted there in emergency.

The handling of this situation, which left thousands of travellers stranded and searching for alternative solutions, quickly turned a logistical breakdown into an economic and industrial-relations dispute.