Lucrezia Ciotti A new red alert has been issued for Mount Etna due to a large ash emission. The volcanic cloud, approximately 4 kilometers high, is moving south, toward Catania Airport , where sector C1 has been closed and arrivals have been suspended until 4:00 PM.
A summer marked by eruptions and air traffic disruptions
The new phase comes in a particularly intense period for il volcano most active in Europe, which has been the protagonist of numerous eruptive episodes in the last month and a half, characterised by lava fountains, Strombolian explosions and significant ash emissions. moment of greatest activity It was recorded between the night of 6 and the 7 August, when a violent paroxysm at the Voragine was followed by a lateral effusive eruption and the opening of new vents between 2.700 and 2.750 metres, in the area between Valle del Leone and Valle del Bove.
In the following days, other lava fronts opened near Monte Rittmann and, on August 11, in Valle del Bove at an altitude of approximately 1.900 meters. The most severe consequences for air traffic occurred between August 12 and 15: ash imposed repeated restrictions at Fontanarossa, and between August 8 and 11, approximately 700 flights were canceled , affecting over 100 passengers.
At times, arrivals were reduced to as few as five planes per hour, while the cloud, driven by the winds, also reached eastern Malta and northern Libya.
After the airport partially returned to full operation on August 18, activity continued: new Strombolian episodes were observed the following day, and further emissions continued into September. The ash caused disruption not only to flights, but also to towns on the volcano's slopes , including Valverde, Viagrande, San Gregorio, and San Giovanni la Punta , where residents and motorists had to contend with repeated volcanic fallout.
Etna, red alert for ash: Sector C1 of Catania airport closed
New red alert on Etna for the intense emission of ash from the summit craters. According to the Vona bulletin intended for aviation, the volcanic cloud reached an estimated height of approximately 4 kilometers And, based on surveillance camera images, it is moving south, towards Catania airport. The phenomenon's evolution is being monitored through visible and thermal monitoring systems.
For safety reasons, the closure of sector C1 of Fontanarossa airport has been ordered , suspending national and international arrivals until 4:00 PM. SAC, the company that manages the airport, has therefore arranged for some flights to be diverted to other Sicilian airports, including Palermo's Falcone-Borsellino airport . The latest bulletin from the INGV also reports variable degassing activity from the summit craters , almost continuous ash emissions from the Northeast Crater, and weak Strombolian activity, accompanied by sporadic emissions from Bocca Nuova. Among the scenarios considered by experts is "frequent explosive activity at the summit craters ," with possible ash clouds, pyroclastic fallout, and lava emissions. The INGV also specifies that " it is not possible to exclude a rapid evolution of the ongoing phenomena towards more energetic activity with the formation of eruption columns, ash clouds and collapses of portions of the summit cones with the formation of pyroclastic flows".