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Italy's Catania airport was forced to suspend flights again on Monday due to volcanic ash from Mount Etna's ongoing activity, the company operating the Sicilian hub said.
All arrivals at the airport, Italy's fifth-busiest by passenger traffic, will be suspended until 4 pm local time (1400 GMT), airport operator SAC said in a Facebook post.
Mount Etna, Europe's highest and most active volcano, frequently disrupts flights at Catania, but ash emissions have been particularly intense this summer, affecting thousands of travellers during the peak holiday season.
Last month, the ash from Mount Etna forced Sicily’s primary airport to shut for five consecutive days.
The closure of Catania airport coincided with the Ferragosto holiday marking the height of the Italian summer season, when millions head to coastal and mountain destinations, which left cities deserted.
While Etna’s activity frequently interrupts flights at the airport, situated 30 kilometres (20 miles) south, last month’s closure represented the longest emergency since 2002.
"Volcanic ash can be a great risk for aircraft," said Boris Behncke, a researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology’s Etna Observatory. "It can be sucked into the motors, and force them to stall. This is why everyone is so very cautious with aircraft when there is a volcanic ash emission."
As Europe's largest active volcano, Etna's recent unrest is unusual for its persistent ash emissions. Northerly winds have carried light amounts of volcanic ash across to Malta and northern Africa.
"There have been many shorter interruptions — and stronger eruptions — over the past few decades, but this event is different because the ash emission from Etna’s summit has been much more persistent," Behncke said during last month’s travel disruption.
Airport operator SAC stated 36 per cent of nearly 2,000 flights due to arrive in Catania between 6 and 12 August were cancelled, with over 600 diverted to Palermo, Trapani, Comiso, and Lamezia Terme.
The disruption and rerouting of passengers triggered sharp increases in local taxi fares and car rental rates, leading Italian consumer association Codacons to file a complaint with the competition authority over price gouging amid last month’s travel chaos.