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Flights suspended at Italy’s Catania airport after major fire

Flights to and from Catania airport were suspended amid the peak summer travel season after a blaze on Sunday night left the terminal covered in a thick blanket of smoke.

Published: 17 July 2023 10:17 CEST

Alitalia planes at an Italian airport

Flights to and from Catania's Vincenzo Bellini airport were suspended after Etna's eruption. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

Catania airport’s management said on Monday morning that flights were suspended until 2pm on Wednesday, with affected flights expected to be diverted to nearby airports.

An investigation is set to get underway into the cause of the fire which reportedly started at 11.30pm on Sunday on the ground floor of the airport before spreading to the first floor.

The blaze was quickly “contained and put out” by the local fire brigade, according to reports, but left the entire airport covered in smoke.

#Catania, concluso alle ore 5:40 di stamattina l'intervento di 4 squadre dei #vigilidelfuoco per l'#incendio di alcuni locali al piano terra del terminal A dell'aeroporto Vincenzo Bellini. Scalo aereo interdetto al traffico passeggeri [#17luglio 8:00] pic.twitter.com/tGf9EMi7on

— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) July 17, 2023

No one was injured, the airport said in a tweet, though Italian news agency Ansa said that some people suffered from slight smoke inhalation and were in a state of shock.

National news media reported passengers crying and screaming as they rushed out of the building.

The cleanup began on Monday as firefighters were reportedly still on site to secure the building and check for structural damage.

It wasn’t clear at the time of writing which airports flights would be diverted to, though two inbound flights were diverted to Trapani airport, on Sicily’s west coast, on Sunday.

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What to expect from Italy's national rail strike this weekend

Passengers travelling across Italy by train may face delays or cancellations this weekend as staff at state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, which includes Trenitalia, Trenord, and Trenitalia Tper, plan to strike from 9pm on Saturday, May 4th to 9pm on Sunday, May 5th.

The walkout was called by CAT (Coordinamento Autorganizzato Trasporti) – one of Italy’s major trade unions – in late March to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

The planned protest is expected to affect all types of rail travel, from long-distance services to regional and local ones, with the overall level of disruption expected to vary by city and operator.

While rail companies are legally required to guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

This means that operators are free to establish whether or not to provide guaranteed services for passengers.

Trenitalia

National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience changes or cancellations” for the entire length of the strike, but the protest may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”.

Though the statement provided no information regarding possible guaranteed services, Trenitalia generally operates a number of essential long-distance journeys during weekend walkouts. These are available here.

Trenitalia has advised passengers planning to travel with them during the weekend to check the status of their services via their website or mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Trenitalia Tper

Trenitalia Tper, which operates train services in the Emilia-Romagna region, has said that their services “may experience changes or cancellations” due to the walkout.

In the event of cancellations, passengers will be able to “ask for a refund according to the operator’s terms and conditions”.

Trenitalia Tper hasn’t yet provided any details regarding possible guaranteed services.

See their website for the latest updates.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, has said that scheduled services “may be subject to cancellations”.

However, the operator has also said that none of its staff are represented by trade union CAT and previous walkouts backed by the union didn’t affect scheduled services.

Trenord will not operate minimum services during the strike. However, should airport link services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes.

See Trenord’s website or app for the latest updates.

Italo

Private long-distance operator Italo will not be affected by the strike.

What to do if your train is cancelled

If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally allowed to travel on other equivalent services instead or will be entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia will need to request a refund either at the station or by using this web form.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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