Italy’s Catania airport closes again due to Etna volcano, after brief reopening

Italy’s Catania airport closed again on Tuesday after renewed disruption ⁠linked to ⁠the Mount Etna volcano, only hours after it had reopened following ⁠a three-day closure.

Airport operator SAC said flight operations had been halted until 1300 GMT because of volcanic activity and current weather conditions.

It advised passengers ⁠to check ⁠the status of their flights with their airlines before travelling to the airport, adding updates would follow.

The Sicilian airport, Italy’s fifth-busiest ⁠by passenger traffic, is often disrupted by volcanic ash interference from Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano.

The ⁠latest ‌shutdown ‌affected thousands of ⁠passengers and placed ‌significant pressure on other Sicilian airports, ⁠as airlines diverted ⁠flights away from ⁠Catania.