Mount Etna eruption: Catania airport closed after Sicily volcano erupts
Thousands of passengers travelling to and from Sicily face travel disruption after Mount Etna erupted overnight.
The eruption of the Sicily volcano caused an ash plume to blanket the eastern part of the island.
Catania airport has temporarily closed and is to remain shut until 8pm local time (7pm UK time) on Monday, the airport press office said in a statement.
“All arrivals and departures are therefore prohibited,” CNN reports.
“Passengers are kindly requested to present themselves at the airport only after consulting their airline,” it added.
Several Ryanair, Easyjet, and KLM flights have been cancelled, delayed, or diverted to other airports on the island.
Other airlines are also experiencing disruption.
Mount Etna is the most active volcano in Europe and in May it had its first major eruption since 1992.
The travel chaos comes just days after Catania airport reopened after a fire damaged one of the airport's terminals in mid-July.
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