Mount Etna eruption forces closure of Catania airport as dozens of flights are cancelled

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Ahead of Italy's biggest bank holiday, an ash cloud from the eruption has caused flight cancellations, delays and diversions.

Etna is Europe’s most active volcano and Italian authorities say it has entered a “pre-alert” phase, moving from warning level F0 to F1.

“Due to Etna’s eruptive activity and fallout of volcanic ash, flight operations are suspended until 08:00 pm,” the airport said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Air traffic heading for the island of Malta is also being redirected to avoid the ash cloud from the eruption that has spread across Sicily.

European air passenger rights mean that travellers whose flights are heavily delayed or cancelled due to the eruption are entitled to meals and hotels as appropriate.

Airport authorities have been criticised for their slow and disorganised response with hoteliers saying around 40,000 nights of accommodation were lost because of the travel disruption.

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