The airport in the Italian city of Catania has suspended operations due to the eruption of Mount Etna.
Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Sunday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna spewed volcanic ash onto its runways, airport authorities said.
The 3,330 metre (10,925 ft) high volcano can burst into spectacular action several times a year, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The last major eruption was in 1992.
Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, would be suspended until normal safety conditions could be guaranteed, the airport said on Twitter.
Cars in the city were covered in a layer of dark gritty dust, images in the Italian media showed.
Operations at the airport are hampered by volcanic ash deposited on the runways. The airport concluded that aircraft take-offs and landings in such conditions were unsafe.
Flights in and out of the port city and tourist favourite Catania, on Sicily's east coast, are suspended until 9am local time on Monday, or until they can guarantee safe conditions, the airport said on Twitter.
Europe's most active volcano can awaken from its slumber several times a year, jettisoning lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island.
But it hasn't unleashed a major eruption since 1922.
The blasts often create a spectacle of flaming lava, but cloud cover on the rainy day masked views of this eruption, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which closely monitors Etna with instruments installed on its slopes.
It said ash had fallen on Catania and at least one town perched lower down the slopes of the 3,330 metre high volcano.
he INGV indicated that monitoring had recorded evidence of a stepping up in tremor activity in recent days.
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