Sicily: Mount Etna ash disrupts Catania flights again

Flight restrictions at Italy's Catania Aiport were extended on Monday, following disruptions to services over the weekend. 

A thick ash cloud emanating from the nearby Mount Etna volcano has prompted authorities to halt flights. 

What do we know about the disruption? 

The Sicilian aiport's operator, SAC, said that all flight operations at the hub had been suspended until at least midnight local time (2200 GMT/UTC) on Monday night. 

It said that where possible arrivals and departures were transferring to Sicily's other airports in Palermo and Comiso. Catania is Italy's fifth-busiest airport, and Sicily's largest hub. 

SAC advised passengers to check the status of their flights prior to setting off for the airport. 

The Mediterranean island is a popular holiday destination but travelers have faced frequent disruptions this summer because of eruptions and more commonly because of ash emanating from Etna. 

Ash from the northeast crater of the mountain is being carried southward by the wind. 

Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said the ash did not appear to indicate an imminent explosive phase.

What is Mount Etna?

Mount Etna is a roughly 3,400 meter (roughly 11,100 feet) stratovolcano on Sicily's eastern coast. Its precise height is ever changing, particularly amid periods of high activity when it can shed a few meters.

The city of Catania is located not far to the south. 

Etna is one of the tallest active volcanoes in Europe and Italy's highest peak south of the Alps. 

It's in an almost constant state of low-level activity and erupts in a more pronounced manner fairly frequently. It has caused disruptions at Catania airport several times this year, and in recent years. 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first volcanic activity took place at Etna about half a million years ago.

Both Roman and Greek mythology asserted that the god of blacksmithing — either Vulcan or Hephaestus — had his forge beneath Mount Etna. 

Edited by: Kieran Burke

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