Mount Etna Eruption Continues Seven Days; Catania Airport Flights Suspended Friday

Mount Etna's eruption has continued for seven days, disrupting air traffic in Sicily. Catania airport extended its flight suspension until 08:00 on August 14 due to volcanic ash.

This duration is unusual, with similar phenomena last observed in the late 1970s, according to Salvo Gambino, director of the Etnean Observatory in Catania at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Hundreds of flights have been canceled, affecting thousands of passengers during the peak summer season. Catania airport is Italy's fifth-busiest by passenger traffic.

The eruption began on August 6. Marco Viccaro, president of the Italian Volcanological Association, notes the current activity is more energetic than previous episodes, suggesting deeper, gas-rich magma and increased ash production. Southerly winds have pushed the ash cloud towards Catania and beyond Sicily. Activity and lava fountains are ongoing at the Voragine crater, with steady ash emission.

Several vents feed a lava field in the Valle del Bove. Gambino stresses the lava flows do not currently endanger inhabited areas. Mount Etna is Europe's highest and most active volcano, frequently disrupting Catania airport operations. Tourists are flocking to watch the eruption, drawing concern from local guides. Daniele Perricelli, a local guide, reports receiving about 300 requests daily, triple the usual summer volume.

He observed up to 2,000 people climbing nightly, some in flip-flops, and urged authorities to increase vigilance. Ernesto Maria Magri, another guide, describes it as a touristic eruption that many observe safely.