Mount Etna volcanic eruption: Is it safe to travel to Sicily and are flights cancelled?

By Euronews Travel

Published connected 02/06/2025 - 16:14 GMT+2•Updated 16:20

Mount Etna, nan tallest and astir progressive volcano successful Europe, erupted earlier today, sending plumes of fume into nan air. 

Dramatic video footage shared connected societal media showed visitors fleeing down nan broadside of nan upland arsenic a heavy volcanic unreality intensified supra them. 

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (IGNV) said successful a connection that nan eruption began astatine 3:50 americium section clip pursuing volcanic tremors that started astatine midnight. Volcanologists added that Mount Etna has been experiencing strombolian explosions of ‘growing intensity’. These explosions are typically a mean benignant of eruption.

A pyroclastic travel - an avalanche of basking rock, ash and state - was seen connected surveillance cameras astatine astir 11:30 americium section time. It was “probably produced by a illness of worldly from nan bluish flank of nan South-East Crater”, IGNV said. 

This travel doesn’t look to person crossed nan separator of nan Valle del Leone, a vale located astatine nan ft of nan acme craters connected Mount Etna. But nan explosive activity successful nan south-east crater has go a lava fountain, it added. 

Mount Etna has a history of predominant eruptions making love backmost 3,000 years. It past erupted in February, sending a 3-kilometre stream of lava flowing retired of a crater called Bocca Nuova, meaning “new mouth”.

That eruption caused immoderate insignificant disruption to travel, pinch parts of Catania airdrome closed owed to reduced visibility. 

Will flights beryllium affected by nan eruption and is Catania airdrome closed?

Catania airdrome stands astatine nan ft of Mount Etna, giving departing and arriving passengers a spectacular position of nan volcano.

Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, besides known arsenic Vincenzo Bellini Airport, connected nan island's eastbound coast, is Sicily's astir celebrated airdrome pinch world tourists. 

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre successful Toulouse, France, which monitors aviation risks, issued a reddish aviation informing earlier today. This has since been downgraded to an orangish warning, and Catania Airport remains afloat operational. 

Departures are happening arsenic scheduled, pinch conscionable a fewer arrivals from Rome, Milan, and Berlin delayed this afternoon. 

Passengers are still advised to cheque nan position of their formation pinch their hose earlier leaving home, arsenic volcanic activity tin alteration nan business rapidly. You tin besides find updated accusation connected arrivals and departures connected the Catania Airport website. 

Can I declare compensation if my formation is disrupted?

If flights astatine Catania Airport are disrupted, airlines are required to connection you different formation aliases a refund if a formation is cancelled aliases delayed by much than 3 hours.

However, this is only erstwhile they could person prevented nan disruption. In nan lawsuit of a volcanic eruption, it is not their fault.

But successful astir cases, airlines will still endeavour to get passengers to their last destination.

It's ever wise to person recreation security arsenic you whitethorn beryllium capable to declare backmost for unexpected expenses.

Is it safe to sojourn Sicily while Mount Etna is erupting?

Yes, it is still safe to recreation to Sicily, moreover erstwhile Mount Etna is erupting.

Local authorities and residents are utilized to dealing pinch Mount Etna eruptions. For nan past 5 years, it has erupted aggregate times a year, and tourism to Sicily has been connected nan rise.

Despite predominant eruptions, lava has not reached adjacent towns since nan 1800s. Etna has much than 200 craters, and erstwhile 1 of these does erupt, achromatic volcanic ash lands successful nan metropolis of Catania astatine its ft and nan galore surrounding towns and villages. 

This is inconvenient for residents, but usually not a problem for visitors. Some group moreover purposefully climb nan volcano to spot an eruption, though authorities impulse visitors to support a safe distance.

The politician of Catania successful Corriere della Sera has said that “everything is normal and nether control”.