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“Due to the eruptive activity of Etna and the simultaneous emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, the closure of the airspace affected by the ash cloud has been ordered and arrivals have been suspended until 5 p.m.” This was announced by the company Sac (source in Italian), which operates Catania airport.
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The same company specified that the situation is having a “severe operational impact” and urged “passengers not to go to the airport without first checking the status of their flight directly with their airline”. “The situation,” Sac concluded, “is being constantly monitored and further updates will follow depending on how the volcanic activity and weather conditions develop”.
Etna’s activity remains intense
For days now the situation at the Sicilian airport has been complicated because of Etna’s activity, which is alternating between different phases, including explosive activity at the Voragine crater. On Sunday 9 August, the Ansa news agency reported (source in Italian) that “during the most intense phases, such as the current one, the fallout of ‘bombs’ can be observed in the summit area of the volcano and abundant ash emission, with the ash currently dispersing towards the south-south-east”.
“The vents at 2,750 metres and 2,360 metres,” Ansa went on, “are active and feeding various flows that are forming complex lava fields, in places overlapping in the barren Valle del Bove and Valle del Leone. Because of the weather conditions it has not been possible to determine the exact position of the most advanced active fronts which, in any case, remain confined around 2,100-1,850 metres.”