Volcanic Fury Halts Holiday Travel: Mount Etna Ash Cloud Shuts Down Sicily's Busiest Airport

Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano located on the Italian island of Sicily, has caused significant travel chaos by forcing the closure of Catania's largest airport for five consecutive days. This unprecedented closure, extended until early Saturday, coincides with the Ferragosto holiday, the peak of Italy's summer travel season, leaving hundreds of summer holiday travellers stranded.

Volcanic ash emissions pose a substantial risk to aircraft, as explained by Boris Behncke, a researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology's Etna Observatory. Ash can be drawn into jet engines, causing them to stall, which necessitates extreme caution and often leads to flight interruptions. While Etna's activity frequently affects flights at the airport, which is situated 30 kilometres south of the volcano, the current emergency marks the longest closure since 2002.

The latest eruptive activity, observed on August 11 and 13, 2026, has been notable for its unusual persistence and sustained ash emissions. Behncke highlighted that while there have been numerous shorter and more intense eruptions over past decades, this event is distinct due to the prolonged nature of ash output from Etna's summit. Northerly winds have further exacerbated the situation by spreading light ash deposits to Malta and parts of northern Africa.

The protracted airport closure has resulted in widespread travel disruptions. According to the Corriere della Sera daily, planes have been rerouted to other airports across Sicily, leading to increased taxi fares and car rental prices. The consumer association Codacons has announced its intention to file a complaint with Italy's competition authority, responding to numerous reports of price gouging.

The SAC airport operator reported that a significant 36% of nearly 2,000 flights scheduled to arrive in Catania between August 6-12 were cancelled, with more than 600 flights diverted to other Sicilian airports like Palermo, Trapani, and Comiso, as well as Lamezia Terme in Calabria. Although flights were able to depart Catania over the weekend, the airport fully closed to both incoming and outgoing flights on Monday, with Comiso also experiencing a brief closure.

To alleviate the immense travel pressure, the Italian train company Trenitalia has added six additional trains along the Palermo-Messina-Catania route. Italy's federation of travel agencies and tour operators, FIAVET, has called for the establishment of a task force to coordinate responses to Etna-induced disruptions. FIAVET President Gian Mario Pilieri emphasized that while operators are working tirelessly to assist passengers, they cannot bear the burden of systemic shortcomings and the management responsibilities of others, and has requested a review of how airlines managed cancellations and passenger support.