Etna eruption halts Catania flights as ash grounds peak-season travel

Sicily's Catania airport has suspended flights again as Mount Etna continues to spew lava and volcanic ash, according to Deutsche Welle. The eruption has disrupted travel during the peak summer holiday season, stranding passengers at one of southern Italy's busiest gateways.

The suspension comes a day after a US tourist was killed by lightning on Etna while hiking in a restricted area, as reported by the Guardian and CBS News. The volcano's renewed activity adds a further layer of disruption to a summer already marked by wildfires and heatwaves across Europe, with France 24 reporting thousands evacuated from blazes in several countries.

For Sicily, the airport closure is more than an inconvenience. Catania's airport is the island's principal link to the mainland and the rest of Europe, and its repeated closures during eruptions have become a recurring feature of life on an island that sits at the foot of one of the world's most active volcanoes.