Catania's airport closed to air traffic on Saturday after ash from Mount Etna drifted over the area, according to Corriere della Sera. The newspaper reports that the volcanic plume reached a height of at least four kilometres. Arrivals and departures were suspended until 16:00, RaiNews and Il Post report.
Il Sole 24 ORE describes the material as lava ash from the volcano, and Il Fatto Quotidiano reports a fresh halt to flights heading into Catania. The suspension covers both landings and take-offs at the Sicilian airport, which sits close to Europe's most active volcano.
The disruption is not a first for the airport. RaiNews notes that Etna has blocked Catania's operations before, and the same pattern has repeated during earlier eruptive episodes. When ash spreads through the airspace, authorities treat the risk to aircraft as serious enough to stop traffic rather than route planes through it.
The reports do not say how many flights were affected, whether the ash emission was still continuing, or what conditions would allow operations to resume. Those details were not included in the material available.
Travellers booked through Catania should check with their airline before heading to the airport. The next thing to watch is whether the 16:00 suspension is lifted on schedule or extended, which will depend on how the ash cloud behaves over the coming hours.
