Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, erupted dramatically on Saturday, July 5, sending a towering column of volcanic ash and smoke approximately 15 kilometers (49,200 feet) into the atmosphere and causing widespread disruption to air travel across southern Italy.
The eruption prompted Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) to raise the volcanic aviation alert from orange to red, indicating that the ash cloud poses a significant hazard to aircraft. The Etna Observatory continues to monitor the volcano using thermal imaging, seismic instruments, and visual surveillance.
Mount Etna erupting now in Sicily, Italy. pic.twitter.com/ScPqT5ixGr
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) July 5, 2026
The dense volcanic ash forced major operational restrictions at Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, Sicily’s busiest airport. Airport operator SAC closed the airspace corresponding to the southern ash cloud (Sector B2), severely limiting flight operations.
Arriving traffic was reduced to five aircraft per hour until 21:00 local time, while numerous inbound flights were cancelled. Italy’s national carrier ITA Airways also cancelled or rescheduled services to and from Catania as the eruption intensified.
The disruption extended beyond Catania. Palermo Falcone–Borsellino Airport accommodated 23 emergency diversions while continuing its normal schedule of more than 220 commercial flights. According to airport operator GESAP, additional staff were deployed to assist passengers, who were later transported by bus to Catania.
Video footage captured throughout the day showed a massive eruption column rising from Etna’s summit. Local reports indicated that ash emissions began increasing around 07:45 local time, before intensifying shortly before 09:00.
The ash cloud reduced visibility across parts of eastern Sicily and prompted authorities to monitor potential impacts on air quality, infrastructure, and aviation.
Although lava often attracts the most attention during volcanic eruptions, it is volcanic ash that presents the greatest danger to aircraft. The fine particles of rock and volcanic glass can damage jet engines, abrade cockpit windows, and interfere with onboard systems, which is why even moderate ash clouds can trigger widespread flight restrictions.
Why is Mount Etna so active?
Mount Etna’s remarkable activity is the result of its unique geological setting on Sicily’s eastern coast, where the African Plate interacts with the Eurasian Plate. Deep fractures in the Earth’s crust allow magma from the mantle to rise relatively easily toward the surface, feeding the volcano’s almost continuous activity.
Recent research by INGV has shown that Etna is underlain by an extensive network of faults that interacts directly with ascending magma. Scientists have analyzed more than 15,000 earthquakes beneath the volcano over the past two decades, revealing how magma movement reactivates faults and often generates seismic activity before eruptions.
Unlike more explosive volcanoes such as Vesuvius, Etna erupts predominantly basaltic magma, which is relatively fluid. As a result, it frequently produces lava fountains, Strombolian explosions, and lava flows rather than catastrophic explosive eruptions. However, powerful ash-producing episodes like the current event can still have significant impacts on aviation across the Mediterranean.
Mount Etna has been active for approximately 500,000 years, while the modern volcanic cone has developed over the last 100,000 years. Covering about 1,250 square kilometers, it is Europe’s largest active volcano and one of the world’s most intensively monitored.
Its first documented eruption dates back to around 1500 BC, and the volcano has shaped Sicily’s landscape—and history—for millennia. One of its most destructive eruptions occurred in 1669, when lava flows destroyed villages before reaching the walls of Catania. More recently, the 1991–1993 eruption, lasting 473 days, became one of the longest in modern history and saw engineers successfully divert advancing lava away from populated areas.
Etna has remained exceptionally active in recent years. During 2021, the volcano produced more than 50 lava-fountain paroxysms, repeatedly sending ash high into the atmosphere and disrupting flights across Sicily.
Saturday’s eruption follows weeks of relatively mild lava effusion from a fissure near the Northeast Crater at an elevation of about 3,000 meters. Scientists continue to monitor the volcano closely as authorities assess whether additional flight restrictions will be necessary if ash emissions persist.
