Mount Etna's renewed eruptive activity has forced Catania Fontanarossa (CTA) to suspend all arrivals and departures, with the airport operator SAC confirming operations would remain halted until 12:00 local time on September 27.

The suspension is the most severe consequence of an eruption that pushed an ash plume to approximately 4 kilometers above sea level, according to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). The cloud drifted south, prompting authorities to close airspace sectors C1 and B3 in addition to the airport restrictions.

Catania initially operated at reduced capacity as the ash cloud approached. Restrictions tightened as the plume spread, culminating in a full stop of both arrivals and departures. SAC announced the suspension on September 26.

The disruption cascaded across the network before the airport closed entirely. At least 10 flights diverted to other Italian airports, according to Italian media reports. Palermo (PMO) absorbed five of them, Trapani (TPS) took three, and Comiso (CIY) received two.

Aeroitalia rerouted its Rome–Catania services to Comiso while Catania remained unavailable. A Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Catania diverted to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) — a significant off-route landing for a long-haul widebody operation.

Not every carrier diverted. Several canceled outright.

KM Malta Airlines confirmed it scrapped KM642 from Malta to Catania and the return KM643 on September 26, citing the volcanic activity and the restrictions at Catania. Brussels Airlines canceled its Catania–Brussels service the same day, affecting around 140 passengers who the carrier does not expect to return until September 27 or September 28. The airline diverted another Catania service to Palermo, with passengers completing their journey to Catania by bus. TUI fly Belgium diverted a service via Palermo under a similar arrangement.

The operational logic behind the closures is straightforward: volcanic ash poses a serious hazard to aircraft engines and other systems. The restrictions at Catania tracked the presence and movement of the ash cloud, plus the airspace limitations it imposed. INGV's data fed a red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA), reflecting ongoing ash emission, with advisories issued through the Toulouse VAAC.

For carriers, the diversions kept some aircraft and passengers moving, but at a cost. Passengers faced altered itineraries and, in several cases, additional ground transportation — the bus legs from Palermo to Catania being the clearest example. Airports such as Palermo and Comiso absorbed unplanned traffic, a role they have played in previous Etna events.

The timing compounds the disruption. Recovery will depend not only on the volcanic ash situation and wind direction but on airlines' ability to reposition aircraft and crews and rebuild schedules thrown off by the suspension. A midday reopening on September 27, if it holds, still leaves carriers managing knock-on delays and rotations across their Sicily networks well beyond that point.

Passengers traveling to or from Catania should expect residual schedule disruption in the days ahead, with airlines continuing to manage recovery as conditions at Etna evolve.