Volcanic activity at Mount Etna forces Catania airport to suspend flights.Catania's Fontanarossa airport on the Italian island of Sicily has suspended all incoming and departing flights "until further notice" due to the eruption of the nearby Mount Etna volcano.In a note published on its website on Monday afternoon, the airport stated: "Following the volcanic activity that occurred during the night between Sunday, July 5th and Monday, July 6th, all incoming flight operations remain suspended, and departures are fully blocked until further notice." Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport unless they have first checked the status of their flight with their airline, with updates published on the official website. The volcanic activity has led to dozens of flights being cancelled or diverted due to a cloud of ash that extended 1.5 kilometres above Mount Etna, prompting aviation authorities to issue a "Vona red" alert, the highest level of warning for volcanic ash hazard to aircraft. Airport operator Sac initially closed the airspace sector south of the volcano on Sunday afternoon, halting inbound flights, before extending the closure that evening to cover the south-western sector as well, owing to changing wind patterns. By Monday morning, the shutdown had become a full block on both arrivals and departures, initially set to run until midday before being extended first to 14.00, then 18.00 and then "until further notice". The closed airspace sectors also cover the Sigonella military airbase south of the volcano, according to flight-tracking service Itamilradar. The disruption follows days of milder volcanic activity, including a modest lava flow recorded overnight between 2 and 3 July that advanced around 100 metres down Etna's slopes before stopping. Volcanic ash fallout has also caused delays to ferry services around Sicily, while a light dusting of ash was reported over the town of Ragalna, on Etna's lower slopes, though no significant disruption was recorded in Catania itself. The situation remains under continuous monitoring by the relevant authorities.

Catania's Fontanarossa airport on the Italian island of Sicily has suspended all incoming and departing flights "until further notice" due to the eruption of the nearby Mount Etna volcano. In a note published on its website on Monday afternoon, the : "Following the volcanic activity that occurred during the night between Sunday, July 5th and Monday, July 6th, all incoming flight operations remain suspended, and departures are fully blocked until further notice." Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport unless they have first checked the status of their flight with their airline, with updates published on the . The volcanic activity has led to dozens of flights being cancelled or diverted due to a cloud of ash that extended 1.5 kilometres above Mount Etna, prompting aviation authorities to issue a "Vona red" alert, the highest level of warning for volcanic ash hazard to aircraft. Airport operator Sac initially closed the airspace sector south of the volcano on Sunday afternoon, halting inbound flights, before extending the closure that evening to cover the south-western sector as well, owing to changing wind patterns. By Monday morning, the shutdown had become a full block on both arrivals and departures, initially set to run until midday before being extended first to 14.00, then 18.00 and then "until further notice". The closed airspace sectors also cover the Sigonella military airbase south of the volcano, according to flight-tracking service Itamilradar. The disruption follows days of milder volcanic activity, including a modest lava flow recorded overnight between 2 and 3 July that advanced around 100 metres down Etna's slopes before stopping. Volcanic ash fallout has also caused delays to ferry services around Sicily, while a light dusting of ash was reported over the town of Ragalna, on Etna's lower slopes, though no significant disruption was recorded in Catania itself.