# Mount Etna eruption suspends flights at Catania airport in Sicily 2026-08-09T10:42:17+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano at 3,324 metres, erupted in Sicily on Saturday, spewing glowing ash and smoke that briefly suspended flight operations at Catania airport, a top Italian tourist destination. The airport authorised resumption of flights after the volcanic alert level was downgraded from RED to ORANGE, though operations were being restored gradually. Social media visuals showed huge plumes of smoke and ash rising from the summit, captured by webcams of the National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology. Mount Etna has erupted frequently over the past 500,000 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In a separate event, Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted, forcing evacuation of at least 1,700 people. Mudflows descended up to 7 kilometres from the crater, but the eruption officially ended on Wednesday, according to Guatemala's Institute of Volcanology. During a previous eruption in June 2018, Fuego killed hundreds and destroyed a village. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: Catania airport, flight disruption, Guatemala, Mount Etna, Sicily, Volcanic eruption Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mount-etna-eruption-suspends-flights-at-catania-airport-in-sicily/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mount-etna-eruption-suspends-flights-at-catania-airport-in-sicily/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.