Mount Etna's Eruption Poses Minimal Impact on Travel to Sicily

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Italy's Mount Etna, located on the island of Sicily, erupted on Monday, June 2, 2025. Videos circulating on social media showed thick volcanic ash clouds towering above tourists descending the mountain slopes. Local authorities assured that the eruption was not dangerous but it impacted travel, especially air connectivity.

In a statement, Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (IGNV) said the eruption that occurred on the early hours of Monday was preceded by volcanic tremors several hours earlier. Volcanology experts linked the event to the collapse of part of Mount Etna's southeastern crater, triggering lava flows and pyroclastic avalanches, as reported by Euronews.

IGNV stated that the emission of ash clouds had ceased by Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

Previously, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Toulouse, one of nine global centers monitoring flight hazards, issued a red aviation warning following the eruption of Mount Etna, as reported by The Independent.

No flights were canceled, but some flights from Rome, Milan, and Berlin experienced delays. The four airports in Sicily, Catania-Fontanarossa (CTA), Palermo-Falcone Borsellino (PMO), Trapani-Birgi (TPS), and Ragusa-Comiso (CIY), operated normally with minimal disruptions.

Journey to Sicily

Enrico Trantino, the mayor of Catania, said that the current situation is "normal and under control." Prior to the eruption, Mount Etna's summit had been closed upon IGNV's monitoring, as he told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The local government and residents are accustomed to facing eruptions of Mount Etna. Over the past five years, the mountain has erupted several times a year, but the lava flow has yet to reach nearby towns since the 1800s.

Etna has over 200 craters. If one of these craters erupts, black volcanic ash falls on the city of Catania at its foot and many cities and villages nearby. It is troublesome for the residents, but it usually does not pose a problem for visitors.

Some people even intentionally climb the volcano to witness the eruptions, although the government advises tourists to maintain a safe distance.

Mount Etna has a history of frequent eruptions dating back 3,000 years. The recent eruptions mark the 14th eruptive phase after the eruption of Mount Etna in February 2025. The last major eruption in February sent a 3-kilometer-long lava flow streaming out of the crater called Bocca Nuova, which means 'new mouth'.

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