Italian airport suspends flights due to volcanic activity

ROME: Sicily's Catania airport shut down temporarily on Monday (Sep 14) 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 kilometres (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.