An eruption from Mount Etna forced the cancellations of flights serving the Sicilian city of Catania as volcanic ash was spewed onto its runway, according to airport authorities.
Flights would be suspended until normal safety conditions could be guaranteed, the airport said on Twitter on Sunday.
Services in and out of the port city on Sicily’s east coast, were suspended until 9am local time today (Monday).
An airport statement said: “Due to the eruptive activity of Etna and copious amounts of volcanic ash on the airport surfaces, flight operations are suspended until safety conditions are restored.”
Catania airport was scheduled to be the sixth busiest in Italy yesterday – with 253 flights scheduled to depart and arrive, according to flight data firm Cirium.
It reported that 68 flights to and from Catania had been cancelled up to 5pm on Sunday.
Of the 44 departures affected, Ryanair cancelled 23, ITA Airways 7 and EasyJet 6.
Cirium estimated 24 arriving services were also cancelled, mainly affecting the same three carriers.
Cars in the city were covered in a layer of dark gritty dust, images in the Italian media showed.
The 10,925 ft high volcano – the tallest active in Europe – can burst into action several times a year, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The last major eruption was in 1992.
The eruption followed national strike action in Italy on Friday affecting critical airport ground handling services.