A volcanic eruption starting Sunday forced the closure of Sicily’s Catania-Fontanarossa Airport that lasted through Monday.
The airport reopened by 6 a.m. local time Tuesday, airport authorities announced in a post on X.
Mount Etna, which stands nearly 11,000 feet, sent out volcanic plumes up to 2,700 feet high. The mountain is the tallest active volcano in Europe.
Volcanic ash can reduce visibility at the front of the aircraft and can collect and congeal inside aircraft engines, causing failure and crashes.
The delays came at an especially inopportune time for those hoping to use the airport, since Tuesday is an Italian public holiday for the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary, called Ferragosto.
Arrivals and departures were disrupted.
The eruption ended Tuesday morning, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.