Major airport forced to close after Mount Etna volcanic eruption

Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania in Italy were halted on Tuesday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, the airport operator said, bringing fresh travel woe during the peak summer tourist season.

Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has seen intense activity in recent days, spewing hot ash and lava.

The airport of Catania had already been closed earlier this month due to ash in the sky. It acts as a hub for the east of Sicily and attracts more arrivals than the capital Palermo.

The statement said that authorities had decided on “the suspension of all incoming and outgoing flights.”

“The suspension will result in cancellations and/or rerouting to other airports,” it added, saying normal operations would resume once the ash fallout had ended.

Italy has the highest concentration of active volcanoes in continental Europe.

Airport authorities are advising passengers due to fly to check their flight’s status before leaving for the airport.

Many passengers have found themselves on diverted flights, mostly to the airport serving Sicily’s capital, Palermo.

What are your rights if volcanic activity disrupts your travel plans?

Under European air passengers’ rights rules, travellers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to be flown as soon as possible to their final destination.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told The Independent: “Flight disruptions caused by ash from Mount Etna are outside of the control of airlines so it is unlikely that passengers would be entitled to compensation for any delays and cancellations arising from these.”

Despite widespread monitoring of volcanic activity – Etna is closely monitored by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, for example – any delays caused by volcanic activity are considered exceptional circumstances.

“However, airlines have an obligation to look after their passengers if their flights are delayed or cancelled,” the spokesperson added.

“In the case of cancellations, airlines are obliged to offer passengers the choice of a refund, re-routing at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at a later date. However, given the circumstances, passengers may be unable to get to their destinations as quickly as we or airlines would like.

“We expect airlines to do what they can to minimise the overall disruption to passengers, and this includes proactively providing passengers with updates and information about their rights.”

Under UK law, airlines must provide you with care and assistance if your flight is significantly delayed. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, these delays are divided into three categories based on distance and length of delay.