Mount Etna ash shuts Sicilys Catania Airport for fifth day stranding thousands as EasyJet crew strike cancels flights in France

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Mount Etna ash shuts Sicilys Catania Airport for fifth day stranding thousands as EasyJet crew strike cancels flights in France
Catania Airport closure extended until early Friday as Mount Etna ash disrupts hundreds of flights
Continuation
Catania Airport in Sicily remained closed until at least 2 p.m. local time on Saturday as Mount Etna’s eruption continued to spew volcanic ash, disrupting air travel for a fifth consecutive day. The closure, the most severe in two decades according to airport authorities, has stranded thousands of passengers during Italy’s peak Ferragosto holiday week, with more than 100,000 travelers affected by cancellations or diversions since Aug. 6 .
Between Aug. 6 and Aug. 12, over 30% of the 1,974 scheduled flights at Catania were canceled, and 630 were diverted to other Sicilian airports, including Palermo, Trapani, and Comiso, as well as Lamezia Terme in Calabria . The Sicilian tourism association Assoesercenti Sicilia estimated losses of €12-24 million due to the disruptions .
Passengers described chaotic scenes, with some stranded for days. Antonella Thirande Warnakulasuriya Costa, traveling to Sri Lanka via Dubai, told Reuters her flight was canceled twice: first on Wednesday, then on Friday . Matteo Paulo Neto, a Brazilian tourist, said repeated schedule changes had left him without clear information, adding that emails from airlines failed to explain the shifts .
The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported sustained effusive activity from vents at 2,750 and 1,900 meters, with lava fronts advancing to 1,340 meters. Explosive activity in the Voragine crater produced dense ash columns drifting south, affecting regions as far as North Africa . Catania, Sicily’s busiest airport, typically handles 40,000 passengers daily.
Italy’s Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci criticized the airport’s vulnerability due to its proximity to Etna, reigniting debate over its location . Meanwhile, Trenitalia added six extra trains on the Palermo-Messina-Catania route to accommodate stranded travelers .
In France, a separate disruption unfolded as EasyJet cabin crew staged a strike, canceling about 100 flights departing from the country over the weekend. More than half of the airline’s 900 French cabin staff joined the walkout, protesting unstable schedules and last-minute changes .
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