Etna has been restless for a few weeks and has repeatedly resulted in brief airspace closures. This hit again on Friday and operations at Catania Airport were again suspended for safety reasons. The volcano in Sicily is considered to be extremely active.

On Thursday afternoon, Catania Airport announced that air traffic had to be temporarily suspended due to an approximately nine-kilometer-high cloud that rose in the course of an eruption from the southeast crater. You are working on a solution, but security is the top priority.

Etna eruptions are absolutely not uncommon, although this situation is easy to deal with in Sicily. Most of the time, the restrictions on aviation are only for a few hours or days. The volcano is currently in a particularly active phase, as there have been 2021 eruptions since mid-February 17, according to the local authorities.