Mount Etna eruption shuts Catania flights, draws crowds

Mount Etna's eruption has drawn large evening crowds to the Italian volcano while ash emissions repeatedly disrupt flights at nearby Catania International Airport, a major gateway to Sicily.

The airport operator said Wednesday that arrivals and departures would remain suspended until 4:00 pm local time on Thursday. Italian media reported that hundreds of flights had been cancelled since Saturday.

Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano, has been spewing ash and lava for days. Local guide Daniele Perricelli told AFP his company was receiving about 300 requests a day for nighttime hikes to view the lava flow, around three times its usual summer level.

Perricelli said up to 2,000 people were climbing the volcano every evening and warned that some were going without proper equipment, including people seen wearing flip-flops. He said the volcano was unstable and called for authorities to be more vigilant.

Another local guide, Ernesto Maria Magri, described the eruption as one that many people wanted to see because it could be observed in relative safety. Guides said visitors can approach within a few metres of cooled volcanic flow at lower altitudes.

Tour operators said current rules allow visitors to climb on their own up to about 2,400 metres, while a guide is required above that altitude. Etna's summit is 3,324 metres.

Italy's civil protection agency has issued a yellow alert for Etna, the second level on a four-step scale from green to red. The alert entails frequent eruptions and possible explosions. Catania International Airport handled around 12 million passengers in 2024 and serves eastern Sicily, one of Italy's main tourist destinations.