Story perspectives

Catania Airport Suspends Flights as Etna Ash Spreads

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 11:09 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Catania Airport suspended all arrivals and departures because of ash from Mount Etna.
The suspension remains in effect until 2159 GMT on Monday 28 September.
A red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation was issued as the ash plume rose about 4 km.
Airlines diverted at least ten flights, sending five to Palermo, three to Trapani and two to Comiso.

History

Historical Context

During the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, the Icelandic Meteorological Office and the European Aviation Safety Agency grounded more than 100,000 flights across 30 airports, prompting the UK Met Office’s London VAAC to improve ash-tracking models. That disruption showed aviation’s vulnerability, leading regulators to adopt real-time monitoring now applied to Etna’s ash plume that halted Catania arrivals and rerouted Lufthansa and Ryanair flights.

1 of 2

Story summary

Catania Airport suspended all arrivals and departures because of ash from Mount Etna.
The suspension remains in effect until 2159 GMT on Monday 28 September.
A red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation was issued as the ash plume rose about 4 km.
Airlines diverted at least ten flights, sending five to Palermo, three to Trapani and two to Comiso.

1 / 2