Tourists are hoping for a return to normality after cancellations plagued Sicily’s international airport following a powerful volcanic eruption.
Countless flights have been delayed at Catania Airport since Wednesday, after Mount Etna shot plumes of smoke more than 10km into the sky, blanketing runways in a thick layer of ash and debris.
Ryanair, British Airways and easyJet were among the major airlines affected by this, given no option but to cancel their flights to and from Catania. However, it now appears that airport operations have resumed as normal.
“The runway at #CTAairport is unusable due to volcanic ash fallout: both arrivals and departures are suspended,” the airport said on Thursday on X, according to a translation by The Independent. “It is currently estimated that flight activities will resume at 18:00. Do not go to the airport without checking the status of your flight.”
While this is yet to receive official confirmation, records show that a number of flights have taken off from Catania Airport this morning, including an easyJet flight to London.
Catania’s travel chaos came as a fresh setback for tourists in the midst of several more airport issues across Europe over the past week. On Wednesday, easyJet said it had to cancel 232 flights to and from Portugal due to a cabin crew strike.
Meanwhile, more than 300 flights were cancelled at Majorca’s Palma Son Sant Joan Airport as the Spanish holiday haven battled against storms.
This included 150 flights on Wednesday, 180 on Thursday and ten on Friday, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, leaving tourists completely stranded on the island.
However, on Friday Mallorca Airport informed passengers that most delays were now limited to ‘under 30 minutes’. It said: “Today [August 16], operations at Palma Airport are gradually returning to normal. Although numerous flights continue to experience delays, most are now limited to under 30 minutes, marking a substantial improvement from the disruptions of the previous days.”
The airport has faced criticism for the extent of delays and cancellations over the last 48 hours. However, a spokesperson defended the airport’s actions, emphasising that passenger safety remains the highest priority and cannot be compromised under any circumstances.
“While the worst of the severe weather appears to have passed, a yellow alert for rain and storms remains in effect until 6 pm on Friday, downgraded from Thursday’s orange warning.”