Etna's ash cloud grounds Catania flights for second week

Mount Etna continued its eruption on Monday, sending volcanic ash high into the sky above eastern Sicily and forcing the closure of Catania Airport through at least Tuesday, according to the Mirror and Ynetnews. The airport, Sicily's second-busiest hub, has diverted incoming flights to Palermo, stranding passengers and upending the summer travel season for the island. Israeli vacationers heading to Sicily were among those affected, with Israir passengers experiencing delays as the airline rerouted services.

The eruption marks the volcano's tenth consecutive day of activity, according to Ynetnews, and reflects Mount Etna's status as Europe's most active volcano. The closure of Catania Airport—a critical node for tourism and regional connectivity—compounds the strain on Sicily's summer economy, already stretched by heat stress and the demands of mass tourism. Palermo's airport, serving the western side of the island, has absorbed the overflow, though its capacity to handle sustained diversions remains limited.

The timing of the eruption underscores the vulnerability of Sicily's infrastructure to natural hazard. Tourism is a pillar of the island's economy, and Catania Airport serves not only holiday travellers but also business passengers and supply chains for the broader Sicilian region. Diversion to Palermo adds hours to journeys for passengers destined for eastern Sicily's beaches, towns and heritage sites, and creates bottlenecks for cargo and freight.

Etna's activity sits within a broader pattern of climate and geological stress across the Mediterranean. The volcano's eruptions are a natural phenomenon, but their intersection with a summer marked by intense heat—which forecasters said was only beginning to peak on the island—compounds the pressures on tourism infrastructure and public services. Foreign correspondents covering the region have noted that volcanic disruption, combined with the heat and drought affecting southern Europe, is reshaping the calculus of summer travel to Sicily.

The Italian authorities have not yet indicated when Catania Airport will resume full operations. Passengers have been advised to check with airlines for updated schedules, and tour operators have begun rebooking groups to alternative dates or destinations. The closure is expected to last at least through Tuesday, though the Mirror's reporting suggested that the duration would depend on the volcano's continued activity and ash dispersal patterns.