Catania flights cancelled after Mount Etna eruption
Airlines using airport in Sicily face disruption until Monday evening
Hollif
Catania airport in Sicily has been forced to close after nearby Mount Etna erupted.
All flights were cancelled following the overnight volcanic eruption.
Flights have been suspended until 8pm local time following the eruption by the 11,000ft volcano.
Airlines affected included easyJet to Gatwick, Edinburgh and Luton together British Airways, multiple Ryanair flights to other Italian destinations and a range of other carriers.
Some flights to the island’s main gateway airport were either cancelled, diverted or delayed.
The shutdown came just over a week after the main terminal was reopened after it was shut for three weeks due to a fire.
The airport operated at reduced capacity by using a smaller terminal following the blaze on July 16.
Catania airport was due to be the sixth busiest in Italy today, with 235 flights scheduled to depart and arrive, according to aviation data firm Cirium. This included seven return flights from the UK.
The airport was scheduled to see a total of 1,690 arrivals and departures this week.
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