Etna continues to disrupt air traffic around Sicily
New ash emissions lead to warnings and temporary restrictions around Catania airport.
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Mount Etna is once again emitting volcanic ash, meaning that air traffic around Sicily must take restrictions into account. Italy’s volcano observatory is maintaining the highest aviation warning colour on Saturday, but that does not automatically mean that Catania airport is closed.
According to the Osservatorio Etneo of Italy’s geophysical institute INGV, ash emissions were still occurring at 06:33 UTC on Saturday. The service issued a red aviation code. The colour indicates the risk posed by volcanic activity to aviation; in itself, it does not mean that all flights are grounded.
The effects have been noticeable in recent days. On 24 September, part of the airspace above Etna was closed. At Catania Fontanarossa, a temporary maximum of ten aircraft per hour was allowed to land, compared with twelve under normal conditions. The airport remained operational at the time, the Sicilian regional broadcaster Video Regione reported.
Volcanic ash poses a safety risk to aircraft. Airspace sectors and arrival capacity are therefore adjusted as soon as the ash cloud could affect a flight route or approach area. The INGV observatory service distributes special messages to air traffic controllers and other aviation stakeholders for this purpose.
Catania airport has taken measures several times in September following ash emissions. In earlier notices, passengers were asked to check the status of their flight with the airline. Flights may be delayed, diverted or cancelled, even when the airport itself remains partially open.
The full extent of the current disruption cannot be established from public sources on Saturday. Flight boards show both scheduled flights and cancellations, but do not directly link every change to Etna. It is therefore too early to give a total number of affected travellers.
The situation can change quickly. Wind direction, the height of the ash cloud and measurements at and around the airport determine which sectors are restricted. For travellers, the official flight information from the airport and the airline is decisive; the red INGV code is primarily a warning about volcanic activity.
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The volcanic activity and recent aviation restrictions have been confirmed by INGV and a regional news source. The text avoids making an unsubstantiated total claim about cancellations.
- confirmed Etna issued a red aviation warning on 26 September 2026 because of continuing ash emissions. — This is stated on INGV’s current VONA overview page. source
- confirmed Part of the airspace above Etna was closed on 24 September. — Video Regione reports the closure of airspace sector B1. source
- confirmed Catania temporarily limited the number of landings to ten per hour. — The regional source cites ten landings per hour compared with twelve normally. source
- confirmed The current extent of the disruption and the number of affected travellers have not been fully established. — Public flight data show different statuses, but no complete causal attribution to Etna. source
Editor's note
The ash emissions and the red aviation warning have been confirmed. The exact extent of the current flight disruption and the number of affected travellers were not publicly available and have therefore not been filled in.Sources
- Laatste VONA-waarschuwing voor de Etna — INGV Osservatorio Etneo
- Etna, nube di cenere: chiuso lo spazio aereo sul vulcano, limitazioni a Catania — Video Regione
- Catania Fontanarossa Airport Arrivals 26-Sep-2026 — FlightStats
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „etna sicilië”
- NOS — „etna sicilië”
- Het Parool — „etna sicilië”