Mount Etna eruption forces Catania airport flight cancellations
On the morning of 5 July 2026 Mount Etna on Sicily erupted, sending a 1.5‑kilometre‑high ash plume into the atmosphere. The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) raised the aviation colour code to red and ordered the closure of airspace sector B2 south of the volcano.
Catania‑Fontanarossa Airport suspended all incoming flights and limited departures to five aircraft per hour until about 21:00 local time. ITA Airways and other carriers cancelled or rescheduled dozens of flights, with many services diverted to Palermo, Comiso and other Sicilian airports. Thousands of passengers were stranded or faced long delays. INGV models forecast the ash cloud moving further south over the next hours, prompting continued restrictions and passenger advisories to check airline status before travelling to the airport.