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Sicily's Catania airport restarts flights after Etna alert downgrade - Headlines news and analysis from Global Banking & Finance Review
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Sicily's Catania airport restarts flights after Etna alert downgrade

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on August 15, 2026

1 min read

· Last updated: August 15, 2026

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headlines Aviation Italy Travel Disruption Volcano

Catania Airport in Sicily Restarts Flights After Mount Etna Alert Drop

Flight Operations Resume Following Volcanic Activity

Background on Mount Etna's Eruptions

MILAN, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Sicily's Catania airport has restarted flights, it said on Saturday, after authorities downgraded to orange from red the aviation alert colour of Mount Etna's recent volcanic activity.

Impact on Air Travel

Ash from Etna's eruptions have forced the Sicilian airport to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights over the last week.

Timeline of Flight Suspensions and Resumptions

The airport, Italy's fifth-busiest hub by passenger traffic, said on Friday it was suspending all flights until 1300 GMT on August 15.

However, in an update published on its website, it said it had restarted departing and incoming flights from 1200 GMT following the volcanic alert downgrade.

Reporting Credits

(Reporting by Valentina Za; editing by Barbara Lewis)

Key Takeaways

  • Flights resumed at Catania Airport at 12:00 GMT on August 15 following a downgrade of the volcanic aviation alert from red to orange.
  • Mount Etna’s ash had disrupted or rerouted hundreds of flights over the past week, including cancellations affecting about 36% of nearly 2,000 arrivals between August 6–12, with many diverted to Palermo, Trapani, Comiso and Lamezia Terme (apnews.com).
  • Fontanarossa is one of Italy’s busiest airports, ranking 5th by annual passenger traffic with over 12 million travelers in 2024, and serves as Sicily’s main air gateway (it.wikipedia.org).

References

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were flights at Catania airport cancelled?
Flights at Catania airport were cancelled due to ash from Mount Etna's eruptions.
When did Catania airport restart flights?
Catania airport restarted flights from 1200 GMT on August 15 after the volcanic alert was downgraded.
What caused the disruption at Sicily's Catania airport?
Recent volcanic activity and ash clouds from Mount Etna caused the disruption.
How significant is Catania airport for Italy?
Catania airport is Italy's fifth-busiest hub by passenger traffic.
What was the new volcanic alert level for Mount Etna?
Authorities downgraded the aviation alert from red to orange for Mount Etna.

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