What Might Mount Etna’s Eruptions Mean For Visitors?

Recently, Mount Etna – Europe’s most active volcano – saw a spectacular burst of lava, which the BBC reported could be seen from “miles away”.

It followed reports of lava flowing down the volcano days before and raised the alert level in the area.

Mount Etna’s eruptions are pretty frequent, with 11 reported bursts in three weeks taking place in 2021. These can sometimes lead to ash plumes.

So what might that mean for those travelling to the area?

While the ash clouds typical of Mt Etna’s eruptions can affect flights, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told HuffPost UK that these disruptions are less severe than they used to be.

Spokesperson Jonathan Nicholson said: “Following the 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland and the lessons learned since, volcanic eruptions now cause less disruption to aviation.

“The whole sector learned a lot about the impact that volcanic ash can have, while new technology and understanding means the impact can be better handled to minimise any disruption to passengers.”

Still, Italy’s Civil Protection Department said on its site that ash clouds can affect the Catania Fontanarossa, Sigonella, and Reggio Calabria airports and may “cause significant disruption to the transport sector”.

Keep an eye on your airline and airports’ updates if you’re travelling to the area.

“The lava flows of Etna, due to their viscosity and consequent low… speed, [usually don’t] constitute a danger to the safety of people.

“In [cases where] leakage occurs from [areas of] high altitude, the flows would rarely reach the towns,” Italy’s Civil Protection Department shared on their site.

In the rare case that an eruption might threaten a town, they added, it “is usually possible to implement measures aimed at altering their path”.

The most dangerous type of eruption, they continued, comes from “vents placed at low altitude: in such case the time to carry out any cooling flows would clearly be reduced, and most probably it would be useful to resort to the evacuation of the population from threatened areas”.

In 1983, 1992, 2001 and 2002, some canals were excavated, others had their banks reinforced, and barriers were laid down to change the direction of the lava flow.

“It should be noted that in the last two cases, interventions were designed to protect tourist infrastructures located at high altitudes,” the government body added.

Multiple monitoring systems, including thermal cameras, constantly track the mountain’s status.

You can check on the volcano’s status via INGV.

It’s crucially important to keep up-to-date with the volcano’s status if you’re visiting. Follow all local weather advice.