Around 700 flights canceled at Italy’s Catania airport due to Mount Etna eruption

Around 700 flights have been canceled at Catania airport on the Italian island of Sicily due to Mount Etna‘s ongoing eruption and the release of volcanic ash, local media reported Wednesday.

Between Aug. 8 and 11, around 400 departing flights were canceled, while another 52 cancellations were scheduled for Wednesday, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

More than 250 flights were redirected to other airports, including over 100 to Comiso, around 50 to Palermo on Tuesday alone and another 22 to Trapani.

SAC, the company that manages Catania airport, said all arriving and departing flights had been suspended until 4 pm local time (1400GMT) Thursday because of volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

The closure of airspace sectors affected by the ash cloud was also extended, it added.

Passengers were urged to check the status of their flights with their airlines before traveling to the airport.

Comiso airport, in the province of Ragusa, has meanwhile resumed full operations after temporarily suspending flights due to ash contamination.

The disruption comes at the height of Sicily’s summer tourism season, affecting thousands of residents and visitors.

Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said the latest disruption had revived long-standing concerns over Catania airport’s vulnerability due to its proximity to Mount Etna.

Mount Etna, located on Sicily’s eastern coast, is among the world’s most active volcanoes.