Flights were suspended after the recent incident
The Foreign Office regularly updates its travel advice(Image: Getty)
Families heading to Europe for their summer holidays soon may want to read up on some updated travel advice. The Foreign Office has updated its guidance for a popular EU destination. You may want to speak with your travel provider ahead of your trip.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has changed its guidance for people traveling to Italy. The update relates to ‘Mount Etna Eruption – Flight Disruption’ and was added on Friday, August 7. Visitors to the Mediterranean country are informed: “Flights are currently affected by an ash cloud from Mount Etna. Check with your travel provider or Catania Airport before travelling.” The active volcano Mount Etna is on the east coast of Sicily, and is about 40km north of Catania Airport.
Plumes of ash cloud recently filled the air in the local area after an eruption of the volcano. Previous guidance on the Catania Airport website said that flights into Catania were suspended on Saturday, August 8, until 12 noon local time. Departures continued to operate as usual.
Airport update
A later update on the airport website posted on Saturday, August 8, reads: “Following the downgrade of the volcanic activity alert level from RED to ORANGE, the resumption of flight operations has been authorised with immediate effect.
“Airspace sectors are therefore back in operation and flight landing services are being gradually restored.” But the guidance also encourages customers to keep an eye out for updates.
The airport said: “However, passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.” You can read the full Foreign Office guidance on the Government website.
You can also check for any fresh updates on the Catania Airport website. Travellers heading through Bristol Airport also recently faced disruption after flights were suspended owing to a fault with the runway.
Many flights were left grounded after the problem emerged late on Friday, August 7. Flights resumed at around 8am on Saturday, August 8, once the issue was fixed.
Operations were halted late on Friday, August 7, with the airport initially expecting flights to resume at 6am on Saturday. The runway eventually reopened at around 8am.
Your rights if your flight is delayed
If your flight is delayed for whatever reason, after a certain period your airline must provide certain things to take care of you.
These include:
- Food and drink
- Communication i.e. access to phone calls and emails
- Accommodation if you are delayed overnight – and journeys between the airport and the hotel.
The company must provide support if your flight is delayed by:
- At least two hours for flights under 1,500km (such as Glasgow to Amsterdam)
- At least three hours for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km (such as East Midlands to Marrakesh)
- At least four hours for flights over 3,500km (such as London to New York).