Update: ten days after it was dropped, the Etna warning is back
What happened
This is a follow-up to a story we covered on 20 September 2026, when the Mount Etna warning was removed from the UK's travel advice for Italy. It has come back. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its Italy travel advice on 28 September 2026 with new information about Mount Etna volcanic activity, on the 'Warnings and insurance' page. The advice now states that due to volcanic activity, local authorities have increased the alert level for Mount Etna. It warns that arrivals and departures into Catania airport may be cancelled, delayed or re-routed to Palermo or Comiso. Travellers heading to or from Catania are told to check with their travel provider or with Catania airport, and to follow the advice of local authorities in the event of an eruption. The activity behind this was significant. On 24 September 2026, Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology issued a 'red' aviation alert for the area after an ash plume rose to around 4 kilometres. By 26 September, a powerful ash eruption from the volcano's north-eastern crater was disrupting air traffic at Catania, with the ash cloud drifting southwards towards the airport and thousands of travellers looking for alternatives. Catania has since reopened, but the FCDO advice remains in place because further activity could cause fresh problems. We are flagging this openly as an update rather than new news. The underlying situation, an active volcano next to a busy airport, has not changed. What has changed is that the official warning is in force again, which affects what travellers should check and what insurers expect of them.
Why this matters
Etna is Europe's highest and most active volcano, and Catania airport sits to its south. Most of the time, that is simply a spectacular view from the window seat. The problem is ash. Volcanic ash is abrasive and can melt inside jet engines, so aviation authorities treat it very seriously. When ash drifts over an airport or a flight path, flights stop. There is no negotiating with it. For travellers, the result is rarely a cancelled holiday. It is usually a different airport. Being re-routed to Palermo means a journey of roughly three hours by road from Catania, and Comiso is around an hour and a half away. That is manageable if you know it might happen and have a plan, and genuinely stressful if you do not. Sicily is a popular autumn destination for UK travellers, with warm weather long after Britain has turned cold. Half-term trips in October are common. So this is worth knowing now rather than at the departure gate. The insurance point is the serious one. Travel insurance policies vary a great deal in how they treat volcanic disruption, and some exclude it entirely. The time to find out is before you book, not while standing in a queue in Palermo.
What the evidence actually says
Here is what is established. The alert level has been raised by local authorities. That is stated in the FCDO advice, updated 28 September 2026. A red aviation alert was issued on 24 September 2026 by Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, with the ash plume reported at about 4 kilometres. Air traffic at Catania was disrupted, and the airport has since reopened. What this does not mean is that a major eruption is predicted. A raised alert level means increased activity and increased monitoring. Etna has raised and lowered its alert level many times, which is precisely why the warning was removed from UK advice ten days ago and has now returned. It is also worth being clear about the actual danger to visitors. Etna's eruptions are usually what volcanologists call effusive or mildly explosive: lava flows, ash emissions and fountains. The hazard to people is concentrated on the mountain itself, where guided access is restricted during activity. The practical risk to someone staying in Taormina or Syracuse is a disrupted flight, not a threat to life. The honest caveat is unpredictability. Volcanoes do not follow timetables, and the alert level can go up or down within days. Anyone claiming to know what Etna will do in three weeks' time is guessing. The sensible conclusion is the dull one: the destination remains open and visited by large numbers of people, and the thing to prepare for is travel disruption.
Qurexa perspective
Flight disruption is an inconvenience for most people. For anyone on regular medication, it can be more than that. When flights are diverted to another airport and onward travel takes most of a day, a trip can run a day or two longer than planned. If you packed exactly the number of tablets you needed, that is a problem that starts in a foreign country. Our practical advice, from handling this kind of situation regularly, is to pack at least a few days more medication than your trip requires, keep it in hand luggage in its original labelled packaging, and carry a copy of your prescription. If you use something temperature-sensitive, such as insulin, think about how you would keep it cool during an unexpected delay. It costs nothing to over-prepare, and it turns a medical worry back into a travel inconvenience.
Practical advice
If you have a trip to eastern Sicily booked, or are thinking about one, here is what to do. Read the FCDO travel advice for Italy, specifically the 'Warnings and insurance' page, and sign up for email alerts on the page so you are told when it changes. Check your flight status directly with your airline on the day, and check Catania airport's own updates. Know your alternatives before you need them. If you are re-routed, Palermo is roughly three hours from Catania by road and Comiso around an hour and a half. Note how you would make that journey. Check what your travel insurance says about volcanic ash and natural disasters, in writing. If it is not covered, consider a policy that does cover it before you book. Keep receipts for anything you spend during a disruption. Airlines have duties to passengers on cancellation or long delay, and claims are far easier with paperwork. Pack a day bag that assumes delay: medication, chargers, a change of clothes, water. If you plan to visit the volcano itself, go with an authorised guide and follow access restrictions. These exist because conditions change quickly at altitude. If you have asthma or another lung condition, be aware that ashfall can irritate airways. Take your inhalers and keep them with you rather than in a suitcase.
What to know
The Mount Etna warning has returned to the UK's Italy travel advice, updated 28 September 2026, ten days after it was removed. Local authorities have raised the alert level, and flights into and out of Catania may be cancelled, delayed or re-routed to Palermo or Comiso. The trigger was a significant ash eruption in the week of 24 September, when Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology issued a red aviation alert with the plume reaching about 4 kilometres; Catania has since reopened. This is a follow-up to our 20 September article rather than a new event: the situation is an active volcano beside a busy airport, and the alert level moves. Sicily remains open. Plan for disruption, check your insurance covers volcanic ash, and carry spare medication. Sources: GOV.UK (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), 'Italy travel advice: Warnings and insurance', latest update 28 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/warnings-and-insurance; Türkiye Today, 'Mount Etna triggers highest aviation alert as ash plume rises 4 km', 24 September 2026, https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/mount-etna-triggers-highest-aviation-alert-as-ash-plume-rises-4-km-3228856; AzerNews, 'Mount Etna eruption disrupts air traffic in Sicily', 26 September 2026, https://www.azernews.az/region/264550.html. This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist, travel health clinic or other qualified healthcare professional.
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