Etna eruption: 4 km high cloud and flights diverted to Catania

Eruptive cloud 4 km high. An intense emission of lava ash is dispersed towards the South, from the North-East crater of Etna, experts declare. Several flights to Catania were diverted to the Falcone-Borsellino airport in Palermo due to the Etna emergency which is limiting operations at Fontanarossa, with landings in particular being restricted

Flights suspended at Catania airport, until 4pm, due to ongoing activity on Etna and the emission of lava ash from Etna's North-East crater. The height of the volcanic cloud is estimated at 4 kilometers. The volcanic cloud moves south, notes the Vona aviation bulletin issued by INGV, which certifies a red alert level. The cloud moves in a southerly direction, therefore towards the airport. The phenomenon is observed via surveillance cameras in the visible and thermal infrared.

Ten flights diverted

A violent storm, which hit Catania all night, and an intense emission of lava ash, which disperses towards the South, from the North-East crater of Etna which, according to the INGV, also produces an eruptive cloud 4 kilometers high. These are the phenomena that are causing inconvenience at the Vincenzo Bellini international airport. Ten flights have already been diverted to other airports: five to Palermo, three to Trapani and two to Comiso. Volotea's Catania-Verona also took off from the latter airport. The operational coordination unit (NCO), after the closure of the airspace in sector C1, imposed the restriction to zero landings and zero take-offs. The warning issued by the INGV of Catania is in force on Etna for the flight, the Vona (Volcano observatory notice for aviation), red in colour, the highest level of alert on a scale of four.

In-depth analysis

Etna eruption, ten landings per hour in Catania until 12 tomorrow

“Red” alert

For some weeks the North-East crater of Etna has been intermittently emitting a gaseous plume characterized by a high concentration of fine particulate matter with reddish-brown tones, which has taken on very evident dimensions. The phenomenon occurs in the post-eruptive phase following the intense activity of July-August 2026, during which the Voragine crater produced frequent explosions and lava flows also fed by a system of lateral fissures which propagated towards the Valle del Bove up to approximately 1,900 meters above sea level. This is Marco Neri's analysis reported by the IngvVulcani website.

In-depth analysis

Etna hotel evacuated, monoxide fumes suspected

The red plume

The reddish-brown color of the plume is attributable to the presence of strongly chemically altered solid particles, rich in iron oxides and deteriorated glassy fragments. these are presumably residues of the flows and waste accumulated in the conduit during the recent eruptive phases, and not the fragmentation of new magma. It cannot, however, be ruled out that this "cleaning" phase of the conduit could constitute a transition: on the one hand, the volcanologist observes, it marks the conclusion of the previous eruptive activity, on the other it could represent the prelude to a subsequent phase of activity, should the magmatic system become pressurized again.