Sicily is one of Europe’s most popular island destinations, bragging glorious, rugged beaches, fantastic hiking, lovely pistachio-filled food and fantastic weather. However, it’s also home to Mount Etna, a scenic but active volcano whose eruptions have been causing travel chaos over the last week.
If you’ve got a trip to Sicily coming up, it’s worth keeping a very close eye on the news right now. At time of writing, flights into Catania remain suspended with no clear end in sight. Below is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know if you have a trip booked to Sicily.
What’s happening in Sicily?
Mount Etna sits on Sicily’s eastern coast, towering 3,324 metres directly above the city of Catania. It’s one of the most active volcanoes on Earth having erupted repeatedly over the past 500,000 years. This latest eruptive phase kicked off around August 7 and is now running into its second week.
According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the eruption is being fed by vents at roughly 2,750 and 2,360 metres, producing extensive lava flows alongside near-continuous explosive activity from the Voragine crater. The real issue for travellers isn’t the lava, though: it’s the ash. Plumes have drifted as far as Malta and even Libya, and the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre’s aviation warning has swung between red and orange several times as the volcano’s activity has ebbed and flowed.
Are flights cancelled?
Yes. Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), just a few kilometres from the volcano, initially closed on August 7 and briefly reopened on August 9 once the aviation alert was downgraded from red to orange. It then closed again days later once Etna’s activity picked back up and pushed the alert back to red. At time of writing, airport operator SAC, according to Reuters, says arrivals and departures will remain suspended until 2am on Saturday, August 15.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled since the eruption first intensified, with some reports putting the figure as high as 1,350 affected over the past week. Ryanair, easyJet, ITA Airways and Wizz Air are absorbing most of the disruption as Catania’s biggest operators. Over 250 flights have been diverted elsewhere in Sicily instead, mostly to Comiso and Palermo, with smaller numbers rerouted to Trapani.
Palermo Airport has not been affected by ash and is operating normally, acting as an overflow for diverted Catania traffic. Comiso did briefly suspend flights due to ash fall on the evening of August 11, before returning to normal operations. If you’re flying via Catania specifically, check your flight status directly with your airline before heading to the airport rather than assuming it’ll be running as scheduled. Be prepared for further extensions given how this has played out so far.
What are your rights if you have a trip booked?
As things stand, the FCDO has not advised against travel to Sicily, though its Italy page has been updated to flag the ash cloud disruption specifically, advising travellers to check with their provider or Catania airport before setting off.
Because this disruption falls under ‘extraordinary circumstances’, airlines aren’t obligated to pay cash compensation under UK261/EU261 rules. They are still required to look after you if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed, though. That means rebooking onto an alternative flight, giving a full refund if you’d rather not travel and providing reasonable care like meals or accommodation if you’re stuck waiting it out. If your accommodation or wider trip is affected because your flight into Catania specifically has been cancelled, contact your airline first for rebooking options and check your travel insurance policy’s wording on natural disasters and volcanic disruption, since cover varies significantly between providers.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
