Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, has erupted, resulting in hundreds of flights being cancelled or delayed.
The 3,357m-tall volcano erupted on Sunday night and its ash plume has spread across the Italian island.
Thousands of travellers hoping to fly to or from Catania in Sicily are now facing delays, with flights not expected to take off or land from the airport until 8pm local time on Monday.
Flights were originally delayed until 1pm local time but the airport extended the delay due to the fallout of volcanic ash.
British Airways and Ryanair are among the travel companies that have cancelled or delayed flights.
In a statement, Ryanair told affected customers: “Due to the eruption of Mount Etna, we would like to advise all passengers travelling to and from Catania on Monday the 14th of August of possible delays, diversions, or cancellations to flights.
“Affected passengers will be notified as soon as possible. We ask all passengers to monitor the Ryanair App to receive the latest travel updates for your flight.”
The statement added: “Ryanair understands the disruptions to passengers resulting from delays, diversions, or cancellations; the situation is unfortunately outside of our control, and we thank you for your patience.”
Passengers hoping to travel to or from Catania are advised to consult their airline before heading to the airport.
Mount Etna has entered a “pre-alert” phase, with the Italian authorities moving from warning level F0 to F1.
It is the most active stratovolcano in the world and previously erupted in May, resulting in the cancellations of dozens of flights.
In 2017, 10 people were injured when the volcano erupted lava, boiling rocks and steam erupted.
A BBC crew was present, and a journalist and camerawoman were among those injured.
The volcano is a Unesco World Heritage Site and is visited by thousands of people every year.
