The airport administration said that Catania airport in Sicily reopened at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The reason for the suspension of flights was the activity of the Etna volcano.
Mount Etna erupted overnight from Sunday to Monday. Lava erupted from within. Volcanic ash blanketed roads in Catania and surrounding coastal beaches and the runways of the airport, which has been paralyzed in recent weeks after a fire broke out in mid-July.
The airport is closed
After a break due to volcanic activity, Catania Airport reopened at 6 am on Tuesday, and Catania Airport was closed. Initially, the break was supposed to continue its operation until 1 pm on Monday, then it was extended until 1 pm. However, due to the fall of volcanic ash, the closure of Catañan Airport was extended for another hour.
Catania offers a large percentage of connections from all over the world to Sicily. August this year is marked by a huge influx of tourists. The closure comes on a day of exceptional tourist traffic before the Ferragosto holiday on Tuesday and means serious difficulties for Sicily.
In a statement issued, the airport management appealed to passengers to contact airlines for information.
Planned excursions to this city are directed to Palermo and Comiso.
Etna eruption. People are waiting at the airportPAP / EPA / Orietta Scardino
Due to the eruption of Mount Etna, the airport in Catania was closedPAP / EPA / Orietta Scardino
The mayor of Catania, Enrico Tarantino, has banned the use of motorcycles and bicycles for another 48 hours because of the ash on the roads. Cars must not travel faster than 30 kilometers per hour.
The last time there was a major eruption on Etna was in 1992.
PAP, Reuters, Independent.co.uk, tvnmeteo.pl
Main image source: PAP / EPA / Orietta Scardino
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