Due to a fire at Catania Airport on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily, all flight operations have been suspended until Wednesday (July 19). A fire broke out at the airport on Monday night, which the emergency services were able to extinguish in the early hours of the morning. No injuries were reported. “We thank the firefighters, the state authorities, the first responders and the airport community for the quick response,” said a message from the airport at the foot of Mount Etna on Facebook on Monday.
However, according to the airport on the east coast of Sicily, all flights would have to be suspended until Wednesday 2 p.m. due to the effects of the fire. Significant restrictions are expected for Italian passengers as well as foreign travelers. The airport urged passengers to contact their respective airlines for up-to-date information on their flights. The mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino, called for people not to come to the airport “due to foreseeable serious traffic disruptions”.
After the nationwide strike in air traffic in Italy last Saturday, this incident in the middle of the main travel season again led to severe restrictions on flight operations. The east coast of Sicily with the cities of Taormina, Syracuse and many locations is extremely popular with tourists and vacationers. Various airlines also fly to Catania every day from Germany. Catania’s airport is Italy’s fifth busiest airport – according to Assaeroporti, the Italian Airports Association, it handled more than a million passengers in May.