Etna ash cloud grounds flights at Catania airport for third day running
Air traffic at Catania airport has been suspended for the third consecutive day due to volcanic activity on Mount Etna, with flights grounded until at least 2pm on Tuesday, local media reported.
Sicily's Catania airport reopened on Tuesday after flights were grounded for three days due to an eruption at Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano.
Air traffic at the airport in Sicily's second city resumed after the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology on Tuesday morning downgraded its air traffic alert from 'red' to 'orange'.
"Following the downgrade of the volcanic activity alert level from RED to ORANGE, flight operations have been cleared to resume with immediate effect", SAC, the company managing Catania- Fontanarossa airport, wrote on its website.
"Airspace sectors are now fully operational again, and all takeoff and landing services have been restored."
However the company said passengers were still "strongly advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before heading to the airport."
The INGV had issued its highest red alert for aviation on Sunday after the volcano released a cloud of ash that extended 1.5 kilometres above its peak.
Planes were grounded between Sunday evening to Tuesday, with over 180 flights cancelled or diverted to Palermo, Trapani-Birgi and Comiso , Il Corriere della Sera newspaper reported .
Mount Etna is Europe’s largest and most active volcano, with eruptions last year forcing the closure of Catania- Fontanarossa in May and August.
