Etna Eruption Strands Travellers as Catania Flights Stay Grounded
Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption is continuing to disrupt summer travel in Sicily, with Catania Airport facing another night of restrictions after days of cancellations and diversions. Hundreds of flights have disappeared from the schedule since 8 August, leaving some holidaymakers searching for alternative routes off the island. The airport has now extended its arrival ban into Friday morning as volcanic ash continues to affect eastern Sicily’s airspace.
Latest Catania Airport Restrictions
- Airport: Catania Fontanarossa
- Arrivals and departures: Suspended until 02:00 on 14 August
- Arrivals: Remain suspended until 08:00 on 14 August
- 8–11 August: Around 700 scheduled arrivals and departures did not operate
- 13 August: 52 additional departures listed as cancelled
- Diversions: More than 250 flights moved to other airports
- Before travelling: Check the latest status directly with the airline
The disruption has left some visitors with few easy alternatives. London-based Evgenia Filimianova and her husband told The Sun that their flight from Catania to Athens was cancelled around 30 minutes before departure. With their seven-year-old daughter already in Athens, they began looking at a route via Pozzallo and Malta instead. Other stranded passengers have reported crowded terminals and limited availability on alternative transport.
Anyone affected should check with their airline before travelling to Catania and avoid assuming Palermo or Malta will have spare capacity. Volcanic ash can be treated as an extraordinary circumstance under EU passenger rules, meaning cash compensation may not apply. Airlines must still offer reimbursement or rerouting and provide care, including meals and accommodation when required, while passengers wait for alternative transport.
“It’s like The Odyssey – we’re Greek, and we’re trying to get back there, and there are all these hurdles along the way."
Restrictions around Catania have already changed several times as Etna’s activity develops, so plans made hours earlier may no longer work. Anyone flying through the airport over the next few days should keep onward bookings flexible and save receipts for reasonable expenses. Palermo, Comiso and Malta are taking some of the displaced traffic, but those alternatives are also under pressure as the disruption continues.
