By Le Figaro with AFP
Published on 07/23/2024 at 12:50 PM, Updated on 07/23/2024 at 12:55 PM
”
data-script=”
>
Catania airport in Sicily announced on Tuesday the suspension of flight arrivals and departures due to an eruption of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, whose ash has invaded the airspace.
“Etna: due to eruptions and ash emissions, it has been decided to suspend flight operations”wrote on X the manager of the Sicilian airport, inviting passengers to contact their airline for information on flights. The message is accompanied by a photo of Etna indicating “ongoing volcanic activity, high intensity”.
A first message early in the morning from the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) reported a column of ash at an altitude of 8 kilometers. A second message, published two hours later, assured that the ash emissions were now limited to the summit of the volcano. Millions of passengers pass through Catania International Airport each year, which serves the eastern part of the Sicilyone of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.