Ash cloud over Sicily continues to ground air traffic
About 700 flights canceled, travelers stuck in the terminal—the region is increasing train and bus service
Catania – Mount Etna has been spewing ash for six days, and as a result, Catania-Fontanarossa Airport will remain closed until 2 a.m. on Friday. About 700 flights have been canceled since August 8. Tens of thousands of travelers are affected, of all times during the week before Ferragosto, when Italy is in the midst of its peak vacation season. As early as Wednesday, the new vent had already Air traffic in Catania has been largely paralyzed.
More than 250 flights were diverted to other Sicilian airports, including about 100 to Comiso, about 70 to Palermo, and 32 to Trapani. In the terminals at Fontanarossa, passengers waited through the night for updates, with some even lying down on the baggage carousels to sleep. The trade association Assoesercenti estimated the losses for hotels, restaurants, transportation, and retail at between 12.8 and 24 million euros. Fontanarossa normally handles more than 12 million passengers a year and is the main gateway to the eastern part of the island.
Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci sparked debate. He essentially said that it was not the volcano that was out of place, but the airport, and recalled a proposal from 1999 to relocate the airport to the plain between Catania and Enna. Sicily’s Regional President Renato Schifani announced additional funding for the alternate airport in Comiso.
Experts do not expect the eruption to end anytime soon. Stefano Branca, director of the Volcanology Department at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), explained that the volcano had already signaled the start of this new phase of the eruption back in June; it is expected to continue. There is no immediate danger to the public, but the ash cannot be prevented. The red alert level remains in effect for aviation because fine particles can damage engines.
Anyone traveling to Sicily these days will have little choice but to take detours. The region has put six special trains into service on the Palermo–Messina–Catania route; anyone presenting a plane ticket to Catania can ride the regular trains for free. Twenty buses run daily in each direction between Palermo and Catania, and twelve to Comiso. A ferry also runs from the mainland across the Strait of Messina to the island. Airlines are required to assist stranded passengers and rebook them or refund the ticket price; however, compensation is not payable in the event of natural disasters such as a volcanic eruption.
