- Catania airport suspended all arrivals and departures after Mount Etna spewed ash, forcing a temporary shutdown.
- Airport serves about 12 million passengers annually and has faced prior closures, including a weeklong shutdown in August.
- Public debate grows over keeping Catania open and expanding other Sicilian hubs because Etna lies roughly 40 kilometers away.
- Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano at 3,324 meters, erupts frequently and recently attracted visitors to close lava flow views.
Sicily’s Catania airport shut down temporarily on Monday due to volcanic activity on Mount Etna that spewed ash into the sky.
“Arrivals and departures at Catania Airport are suspended,” the airport said in a statement on its website.
The airport, that usually services around 12 million passengers a year, was also closed for a week in August in peak summer season.
There have been growing calls in Italy for Catania airport to be closed and for other hubs in Sicily to be expanded because of the proximity to Etna, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.
The eruption in August drew crowds of visitors to Mount Etna where spectacular lava flows could be observed close up.
At 3,324 metres (nearly 11,000 feet), Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and erupts frequently.
