Flights suspended at Catania airport due to Etna ash and bad weather

The suspension of flights arriving and departing from the Vincenzo Bellini international airport in Catania continues due to the emission of ash from Etna. Sac, the management company of the Sicilian airport, announces that "the closure of the spaces corresponding to sector C1 has been extended". “All arrival and departure flight activities are suspended until 12:00 on Monday 28 September,” the note continues. The stop, initially scheduled until midday today, had already been extended until 11.59pm.

Ash and bad weather, inconvenience for passengers

SAC invites passengers to "check the status of their flight with the airlines before going to the airport". Yesterday, the ash pushed by the wind towards the south, in the direction of the airport, had forced the Operational Coordination Unit (NCO), the coordination body that manages the flow of flights and the safety of the airspace in emergency situations, to progressively reduce the number of landings: from 10 to 4 per hour, up to a complete stop. The situation caused inconvenience both for those already at the airport and for arriving passengers, with flights canceled or diverted. Bad weather also added to the problems linked to the ash: a violent storm flooded several areas of Catania and forced the airport to divert ten flights to Palermo, Trapani and Comiso. Subsequently, the total blockade of activities due to the emission of ash from Etna was triggered, a phenomenon that had been present for weeks but which, until yesterday, had not directly affected the airport thanks to the different direction of the wind.