European flights cancelled as Mount Etna erupts and blasts ash into sky

European flight operations were disrupted after Mount Etna, on Sicily’s east coast, erupted again and released volcanic ash into the atmosphere. The eruption led to cancellations at Catania Airport, and ITA Airways reported that all departing and arriving flights at the airport would be cancelled or rescheduled due to the volcanic activity. Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) raised the aviation alert level to red after detecting intense activity at the volcano’s summit craters. Reports said ash began rising at about 7:45 a.m. local time and intensified shortly before 9 a.m., with monitoring continuing closely as the ash cloud moved. The airport said Sector B2 was closed and arrivals were limited to five flights per hour until 9:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, 5 July. A red alert indicates potential risk to aircraft, and the article notes Etna’s frequent activity, with an eruption recorded on January 1 this year.