A EUROPEAN airport has been forced to close for the third day in a row as a volcano eruption continues to disrupt thousands of passengers.
Flights at Catania Airport in Sicily, Italy, will now be suspended until at least early Saturday due to ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing volcanic eruption.
Over the course of this week hundreds of flights have been cancelled with further flights diverted to neighbouring airport Palermo.
The airport has been closed for three days now, with flights disrupted over the past seven days.
In the latest update on its website, the airport states: “Due to Mount Etna’s eruptive activity, the closure of Sector C1 and B3 has been extended, resulting in the suspension of departures and arrivals until 2:00 AM on August 15.
“Passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.
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“Further updates will follow in the coming hours.”
Flights cancelled today include:
- 10:50am easyJet service to Bristol Airport
- 11:45am easyJet service to Edinburgh Airport
- 12:15pm easyJet service to London Gatwick
- 12:30pm BA Euroflyer service to London Gatwick
In total, nine flights to the UK are cancelled today as well as nine flights from the UK due to arrive at Catania.
Over the past days, more than 700 flights have been cancelled.
Families have also been left stranded at the airport, with videos on social media showing how some passengers have resorted to sleeping on luggage belts at the airport.
The impact has spread further than the Sicilian airport as well, with Malta International Airport forced to cancel 19 flights earlier this week too.
What does the disruption due to Mount Etna mean for passengers?
Anton Radchenko, air passenger rights expert and founder and CEO of AirAdvisor, explained what the disruption means for customers…
“When volcanic ash closes airspace, airlines will usually class it as an extraordinary circumstance, which means fixed cash compensation is unlikely.
“However, I would urge passengers not to confuse ‘no compensation’ with ‘no rights’.
“The airline must still offer a refund or rerouting and provide reasonable meals, accommodation and transport while passengers wait.
“If you still need to get home, do not automatically accept a refund.
“Once you accept it, the airline’s rerouting and care obligations will normally end.
“Ask for the earliest reasonable alternative and, if another airline can get you back significantly sooner, ask to be transferred to that service.
“If you have to pay for reasonable essentials because the airline fails to provide them, keep every itemised receipt so you can seek reimbursement.”
This is supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s current cancellation guidance which you can find here.