Around 700 flights canceled at Catania Airport following Mount Etna eruption

According to data published by SAC, the company that manages Catania Airport, around 400 flights were cancelled, with another 52 cancellations expected today.

More than 250 flights have also been rescheduled to alternative airports.

Since the emergency began, more than 100 flights have been diverted to Comiso, while around 50 were diverted to Palermo yesterday alone and another 22 to Trapani.

The disruption has renewed debate over the long-term vulnerability of Catania's Fontanarossa Airport, given its proximity to Mount Etna.

Nello Musumeci, Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, said the current crisis highlights a problem he first raised nearly three decades ago.

"Back in 1999, as president of the Province of Catania, I highlighted the limitations of Fontanarossa airport and its particular vulnerability due to its proximity to Mount Etna. We didn't just raise the issue: we included the proposal for relocating the airport in the Provincial Territorial Plan; we also had a preliminary study prepared for a new airport in the plain between Catania and Enna, designed to serve seven of the nine provinces,” he stated.

According to him, the proposal did not receive the necessary support. Nearly 30 years later, air traffic and tourism have expanded enormously, while Etna's periodic eruptions continue to disrupt airport operations.

"I returned to the issue as regional president, encountering hostility from the management company and indifference from the local authorities involved," Musumeci said.

"It's hard to deny that recent events demonstrate one thing: it's not the volcano that's out of place, but the airport. I believe the problem exists and deserves serious, far-sighted consideration in the planning of major infrastructure, with a long-term vision. It's just a matter of deciding what role Sicily should have in the future of growing air mobility," he concluded.

Earlier, it was reported that Guatemala had declared a nationwide orange alert after the Fuego volcano eruption.