Travel from Sicily was severely disrupted after Mount Etna erupted on Sunday evening. The majority of flights in and out of Catania airport were cancelled. The airport was initially expected to reopen at 8pm on Monday but remained closed until 6am on Tuesday. Etna is Europe's most active volcano and Italian authorities said the mountain had entered a βpre-warningβ phase, moving from warning level F0 to F1.
The chaos occurred a day before Italy's biggest national holiday. On Monday evening, airport officials announced that all flights were suspended in Catania until 6 a.m. Tuesday due to volcanic ashfall. Catania is Sicily's largest airport and operates domestic and international flights. The airport has now reopened and flights are operating as usual. Catania usually handles around 200 flights a day and must close at 02.38 on Mondays following the arrival of flights from Casablanca.
By: USA ARMED Title: Italy panics: Second eruption of Etna volcano buries Catania airport, Sicilian city buried in ash Sourced From: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9NjPh2poLY
