Catania Airport terminal damaged by fire finally reopens

Terminal A at Catania Airport has finally re-opened following the completion of repairs after weeks of flight disruptions and cancellations resulting from a fire which broke out 19th July 2023

On Saturday 6th August (yesterday), the CEO of the airport, Nico Torrisi said, “the situation is much more flexible. the terminals are open, we are fully operational."

“We apologised from the outset for the inconvenience, even if we did not cause it," he added.

✈️ Tutti i voli di oggi, lunedì 7 agosto
Il Terminal A è già da ieri -come già comunicato- pienamente operativo, anche per i voli extra Schengen.
⬇️https://t.co/hixDRXeklO

— Aeroporto di Catania (@CTAairport) August 7, 2023

As a result of the fire, several Air Malta flights were either delayed or cancelled, considering that under normal circumstances, there are daily flights between Malta and Sicily. According to reports, the airline had to cancel 57 flights, and left over 8,000 passengers stranded.

During the partial operations of Catania Airport, it also had to contend with its online check-in system temporarily failing. Furthermore, Sicily was also engulfed in wildfires during a heatwave, which saw temperatures rise as high as 47.6°C on 24th July. This resulted in the temporary closure of Palermo Airport, which was being used to operate some of the flights diverted from Catania Airport.

Palermo’s international airport has been shut down as fires birder its perimeter. The wildfires is one of several on the island of Sicily and has spear due to windy conditions.

Video:Breaking Aviation News & Videos pic.twitter.com/WhvDmFti8D

— Aviation News (@AviationNews001) July 26, 2023

“The return to full operation of Catania Airport also represents a guarantee for the entire Sicilian tourism sector which we will continue to support in agreement with the national Government which has shown great attention in the most difficult moments," concluded the airport's management in a statement.