Sicily's main airport suspends flights on Monday.

Catania airport on the Italian island of Sicily has suspended all departures and arrivals until 06.00 on Tuesday 15 August due to the eruption of the nearby Mount Etna volcano.

The eruption has sent an ash cloud into the air across the southeast of Sicily, with lava flowing from a south-east crater of the volcano at a height of 2,800 metres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

Air passengers due to travel through Catania today are advised not to make their way to the airport until after consulting their airline.

Causa attività eruttiva dell’Etna e contestuale ricaduta di cenere vulcanica, le operazioni di volo sono sospese fino alle ore 20.
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Due to Etna’s eruptive activity and fallout of volcanic ash, flight operations are suspended until 08:00 pm

— Aeroporto di Catania (@CTAairport) August 14, 2023

Catania airport is providing real-time travel updates for travellers via its social media channels.

It has been a difficult summer for Sicily's main airport which faced three weeks of travel chaos after a large fire broke out in the building's main terminal in mid July.

The closure on Monday comes the day before Ferragosto, a major summer holiday in Italy.

Article updated after Catania Airport postponed reopening time.