Overview
- An eruptive phase of Mount Ätna in early August sent prolonged ash over Catania, forcing repeated airport closures and broad flight disruptions that have left thousands of passengers delayed or stranded.
- Between August 6 and 12 roughly 36 percent of scheduled Catania flights were cancelled, and airport operator SAC called the impact on infrastructure the worst in two decades.
- INGV lowered the aviation alert from red to orange on August 15, allowing a phased restart, but renewed explosive activity on August 16–17 produced fresh ash, lava flows and higher tremor that prompted intermittent airspace sector closures and limits on arrivals.
- Regional authorities and operators deployed special trains, extra buses and free rail rides for rerouted ticket holders, yet diversion airports (Palermo, Comiso) and surface transport were overwhelmed and social posts reported private transfer fares as high as €800.
- The eruption has direct safety and legal effects: rescue services reported a tourist fatality after entering a restricted zone, INGV continues close monitoring, and EU rules treat volcanic eruptions as extraordinary circumstances that require refunds or rerouting but generally not compensation.