Etna Ash Disrupts Holiday Travel
Mount Etna ash closes Catania airport for fifth day, stranding hundreds of peak holiday travelers.
Mount Etna's relentless ash eruptions have shut down Catania airport for five straight days, stranding hundreds of travelers during Italy's busiest holiday week, according to Seattle Times. The airport will stay closed until early Saturday — the Ferragosto holiday — marking Italy's peak summer travel day.
This is the longest airport shutdown caused by Etna since 2002, according to Las Vegas Sun. The timing could hardly be worse, with families and tourists flooding Sicily for the August holiday rush.
Five Days of Ash Grounds Sicily's Busiest Airport
Catania is Sicily's largest airport and its main gateway for summer tourists. Etna has been spewing thick ash clouds that make flying in and out impossible. The closure stretches back five consecutive days, with no reopening expected before Saturday morning, News4Jax reported.
The last time Etna caused a shutdown this long was in 2002 — more than two decades ago. Ash from the volcano coats runways and clogs aircraft engines, making it a serious safety risk. Officials have not said when Etna's eruptions might ease.
Stranded Travelers Face Soaring Taxi and Rental Costs
With Catania closed, airlines have rerouted flights to other airports on the island. That means passengers must travel much farther to reach their destinations. Taxi fares and car rental prices have surged as a result, Las Vegas Sun reported.
Hundreds of summer travelers are stuck, scrambling for alternative ways to get around. Sicily's road network is already under pressure during Ferragosto, when millions of Italians travel at the same time. The added demand for ground transport has pushed prices sharply higher.
Italy Adds Trains to Ease the Travel Crunch
Italy's national rail company Trenitalia has stepped in to help. It added six extra trains along the Palermo-Messina-Catania route, according to Yahoo News Canada. The move is meant to give stranded travelers another way to move across the island.
The Palermo-Messina-Catania corridor is one of the most important rail links in Sicily. The extra trains give passengers a direct route between the island's major cities without needing a car or a plane. Still, rail capacity alone may not be enough to absorb all the displaced travelers during the peak holiday crunch.
Ferragosto Falls as Etna Keeps Erupting
Ferragosto, celebrated on August 15, is Italy's most important summer holiday. It is the single busiest day of the year for travel. Having Sicily's main airport closed on that date is a major disruption for the entire country's travel network, Seattle Times reported.
Etna is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It erupts frequently, but shutdowns this long are rare. Authorities are watching the volcano closely. For now, hundreds of travelers remain stranded, waiting for the ash to clear and the runways to reopen.
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