Tourists are hoping for a return to normality after cancellations at Sicily’s international airport followed by a violent volcanic eruption.
There have been countless flight delays at Catania airport since Wednesday after Mount Etna shot clouds of smoke more than ten kilometers high into the sky and covered the runways with a thick layer of ash and debris.
Ryanair, British Airways and EasyJet were among the major airlines affected and had no choice but to cancel their flights to and from Catania. However, airport operations now appear to have returned to normal.
“The runway at #CTAairport is unusable due to volcanic ash: both arrivals and departures are suspended,” the airport said on X on Thursday, according to a translation by The Independent. “Currently, flight operations are expected to resume at 6:00 p.m. Do not go to the airport without checking the status of your flight.”
Official confirmation is yet to be made, but records show that several flights departed Catania airport this morning, including an EasyJet flight to London.
The travel chaos in Catania was a new setback for tourists, following several other airport problems across Europe in the past week. On Wednesday, EasyJet announced it had had to cancel 232 flights to and from Portugal due to a cabin crew strike.
Meanwhile, more than 300 flights were cancelled at Palma Son Sant Joan airport on Mallorca as the Spanish holiday paradise struggled with storms.
According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, 150 flights were affected on Wednesday, 180 on Thursday and ten on Friday, leaving all tourists stranded on the island.
However, on Friday, Mallorca Airport informed passengers that most delays were now limited to “less than 30 minutes.” It said: “Today (16 August) operations at Palma Airport are gradually returning to normal. Although numerous flights continue to experience delays, most are now limited to less than 30 minutes, which is a significant improvement on the disruptions experienced in previous days.”
The airport has been criticised for the extent of delays and cancellations over the past 48 hours. However, a spokesperson defended the airport’s actions, stressing that passenger safety remains the highest priority and cannot be compromised under any circumstances.
“Although the worst of the storm appears to be over, a yellow warning for rain and storms remains in effect until 6 p.m. Friday, downgraded from Thursday’s orange warning.”
