Volcanoes

FAMILIES are being left stranded abroad after more than 700 flights have been cancelled across Europe.

The ongoing eruption of Mount Etna has caused chaos in Sicily, with Catania Airport suspending operations since the weekend.

This has resulted in cancelled flights and hundreds of holidaymakers being stranded abroad.

Evgenia Filimianova, 39, flew to Sicily last week from London to attend a friends wedding.

However, after trying to fly back to Athens from Catania Airport yesterday, they were told their flight was cancelled just 30 minutes before it was due to depart.

Not only that, but their seven-year-old daughter is stuck with family in Athens without them.

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Evgenia said: “We were having a very nice day in Taormina, at the wedding, enjoying our time there, but we could see the eruption and the volcano spewing lava.

“The locals seemed very chill and we didn’t get any emergency texts or direction from the people at the hotel, so we weren’t too worried.

“But then I started reading about travel. As soon as there is ash, the airports start closing.”

She added that there were loads of people “sleeping on the floor” when they arrived at the airport with other families also stuck.

Despite spending a night at the airport hotel, they were told today that flights were still being cancelled.

She added: “It feels like there is no way out. Our daughter is in Athens, we have to get back to her.”

Not only are flights being cancelled, but she said “buses and trains are fully booked, taxis are too expensive, the hotels are getting booked up”.

Flights are still operating from Palermo Airport on the north of the island, but Evgenia has said that flights from there are fully booked too.

The couple are now planning to get to Malta and then make their way back to Athens from there.

She explained: “The plan is to get a cab to the bus station, then a three hour bus to Porto di Pozzallo, then a ferry to Malta, then a cab to a hotel, stay there overnight and then a cab to the airport.

“And then we’re just hoping we’ll be able to fly to Athens.

“Emotionally, it’s not easy. It’s stressful and tiring and we weren’t prepared for it.

She did find some humour in the situation though.

She added: “It’s like The Odyssey – we’re Greek, and we’re trying to get back there, and there are all these hurdles along the way.”

According to local media, between August 8 and 11, around 400 departing flights were canceled, with another 52 cancellations today.

More than 250 flights were redirected to other airports.

All flights to and from Catania Airport have been suspended until at least 4pm tomorrow.

It isn’t just Sicily being affected as flights to Malta are also being cancelled and delayed due to the volcano.

Flights to Italy’s fifth busiest airport have been suspended and advice has been issued for any Brits who are due to fly to the Mediterranean island in the next few days

An eruption at Europe’s largest and tallest active volcano has led to the closure of one of Italy’s busiest airports, throwing travel plans into chaos for many Brits.

Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and over the weekend it was spotted bellowing smoke and ashes into the atmosphere, forcing the suspension of arrivals into nearby Catania-Fontanarossa Airport.

In a statement posted today on its official website, airport officials said: “Due to Etna’s eruptive activity and the associated release of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, the airspace corresponding to the ash cloud southwest of the volcano (Sector C1) has been closed. Arrivals are suspended until 5:00 PM.

“As the situation is significantly affecting operations, passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport. The situation is being constantly monitored, and further updates will be provided depending on the evolution of volcanic activity and weather conditions.”

Initially, the airport allowed a small number of landings until the early hours of this morning, before the decision was made to suspend flights completely. Other airports on the island are currently unaffected.

Airlines with routes from the UK to Catania include British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, and Wizz Air, and passengers who have a flight booked to the airport should immediately check their flight status on its official website. Passengers may see flight delays, diversions, or cancellations to their itineraries, and airlines should be getting in touch with any holidaymakers affected by the change.

Volcanic activity on Mount Etna has often affected flights to Catania, due to its location just 29 miles from the volcano, and passengers are sometimes re-routed to other Sicilian airports such as Palermo. Similar cancellations and diversions were seen at Catania just last month, with a two-day closure on July 5 and 6.

It’s worth noting that at the moment, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) doesn’t have any warnings in place about visiting the island, it simply advises “Check with your travel provider or Catania airport before travelling.” Other than any exclusion zones close to the volcano, Brits are still free to visit the island, but should look out for local emergency updates.

While flight delays of over three hours often allow passengers to claim for compensation, a volcanic eruption usually comes under ‘extraordinary circumstances’, which means a claim is unlikely to be successful.

However, passengers from the UK to Sicily are still covered by the Denied Boarding Regulation, also known as EU Regulation 261/2004, meaning airlines need to assist them during delays. For a flight to Sicily, this would come into force for any delay over three hours.

Airlines need to provide two free phone calls or emails to each passenger, meals and refreshments that are appropriate to the time of day and delay length – usually given as vouchers – and hotel transfers and accommodation if the delay is overnight.

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