Mount Etna erupts again, disrupting Malta-Sicily flights

For the second time this month, Mount Etna’s eruption has led to the closure of Catania airport, disrupting flights between Malta and Sicily.

Flights between Malta and Catania have either been cancelled or diverted following the eruption of the 3,300-meter volcano early on Tuesday. The eruption reportedly sent a column of ash eight kilometres into the air over the island.

Three flights between Catania and Malta International Airport were affected. Flight FR367 from Malta to Catania, scheduled for 1:35 pm, was diverted to Trapani. Passengers will be transported by coach from Trapani to Catania. The return flight from Catania, FR368, has been cancelled.

⚠ETNA: a causa dell’attività eruttiva e dell’emissione di cenere è stata predisposta la sospensione delle operazioni di volo. Seguiranno aggiornamenti sulla riapertura della pista. I passeggeri sono pregati di contattare la compagnia aerea per informazioni riguardo il volo. pic.twitter.com/Gvaq63XwM5

— Aeroporto di Catania (@CTAairport) July 23, 2024

Additionally, flight FR1565, which was supposed to travel from Vienna to Catania, was rerouted to Malta, landing at 11:07 am. This flight then departed Malta at 1:10 pm and is now enroute to Palermo.

Catania airport operator announced the suspension of flight operations due to the eruptions and ash emissions, urging passengers to contact their airlines for updated flight information. The message was posted on X, accompanied by a warning image of Mount Etna with the text “high intensity” and “volcanic activity in progress.”

Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano, has a history of frequent eruptions over the past 500,000 years.

The first alert came early Tuesday from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, reporting the ash column at an altitude of eight kilometres (five miles). A second update was issued two hours later, indicating that ash emissions were now confined to the summit of the volcano.