CATANIA Airport in Sicily has been forced to cancel all its flights again today after yet another eruption on Mount Etna.
Volcanic ash in the airspace has resulted in the suspension of inbound flights until at least midnight tonight.
The airport first stopped incoming flights on Saturday due to ash in the airspace and limitations have since been placed on departures too.
This morning, a warning on the airport’s website explained that due to “volcanic activity and weather conditions” cancellations and delays are expected until “23:59pm today, Monday, September 28.”
Flights to and from London Gatwick and London Luton remain on the schedule – but are likely to be cancelled due to the flight limitations.
Some passengers took to social media over the weekend explaining they had travelled across to Palermo to get a flight home from there instead.
It’s only been two weeks since the last time that Catania Airport had to close due to volcanic ash after an eruption.
Some UK flights were affected then too, either being cancelled or diverted to Palermo on the northwestern coast of the island.
In August, ongoing eruptions from Mount Etna forced the airport to shut for five days in a row resulting in hundreds of cancelled flights.
Families who had their flights cancelled were left stranded with videos on social media showing holidaymakers sleeping on the airport floor and even luggage belts.
Last time Mount Etna erupted, nearby Malta International Airport had to cancel 19 flights due to volcanic ash.
Catania is Sicily’s busiest airport handling around 12.4million every year – which works out to around 40,000 passengers each day.
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.