Volcanic Haze Forces Airport Closure

One of Sicily's major airports has been closed because of the ash cloud produced by Mount Etna, causing aircraft delays, cancellations, and reroutes.

The Italian government has issued a "pre-alert," raising the alarm level from F0 to F1, for Europe's most active volcano, Etna. The havoc started a day ahead of Ferragosto, Italy's most important national festival.

Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, the international airport serving Sicily's capital city, cancelled all operations due to the eruption of neighbouring Mount Etna, according to a release provided by the airport's press department. According to the announcement, no flights are being accepted at the airport at this time, with the recommendation that customers should attend their flights only after contacting their carrier to check service.

The recent closure comes as the airport's operations had barely restarted after being halted by a severe fire in its terminal facility in mid-July when the shutdown was announced.

The Etna observatory of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported that the volcanic activity, which had begun late Sunday, had developed into a "lava fountain" and produced a volcanic cloud that drifted southward, while causing a widespread ash cloud to descend on the volcano's southern flank.

Flightradar24 also announced that many aircraft from Malta, France, Austria, and other parts of Italy that were supposed to land in Catania have been cancelled, delayed, or rerouted. The airport didn't reopen until 6 a.m. on August 15th.

Mount Etna is not only Europe's tallest volcano, but also the most active, standing at an impressive 3,350 meters in height.

 

Source: edition.cnn.com