Etna's Ash Suspends Flights at Catania Airport Again

All flights were suspended from Catania's Fontanarossa airport until Tuesday night as ash from Mount Etna drifted across the approach paths, according to the BBC, which described the airport as one of Italy's busiest. The Local Italy reported that air traffic was halted until at least 10pm on Tuesday, September 15th.

The suspension is the latest in a sequence that has become familiar to anyone who travels through eastern Sicily. The Local had already reported an earlier Etna eruption forcing the continued closure of the Catania airport the previous day, as the volcano spewed volcanic ash over the surrounding area.

For the foreign wires, Etna is a recurring story precisely because its interruptions are measurable: a single ash cloud closes a runway, reroutes passengers through Palermo or Comiso, and reminds readers that Europe's most active volcano sits beside a metropolitan airport of national importance.