The ongoing eruption of Mount Etna continues to severely disrupt air transport in Sicily. Catania-Fontanarossa airport will remain closed to both arrivals and departures until 2 a.m. on Friday, August 14, following an extension of restrictions due to volcanic ash. The uncertainty remains for airlines and passengers alike. The managing company SAC has announced the prolonged closure of airspace sector B3, affected by the ash plume, and urges passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport. Since August 7, approximately 700 flights have been cancelled at Catania. More than 400 connections have been diverted or rescheduled to other airports: over 100 to Comiso, 330 to Palermo, 22 to Trapani, and a few to Lamezia Terme in Calabria. This large-scale reorganization occurs at the peak of the summer season. Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected, some having to reach alternative airports by road or rail. Comiso itself had to temporarily suspend operations for twelve hours due to ash fallout before reopening. The winds are a decisive factor for Fontanarossa. The Etna Observatory of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported on August 12 ongoing effusive activity from several vents on Etna's slopes, as well as variable explosive activity at the Voragine crater. Ash emissions were dispersing southward, in an unfavorable direction for Catania airport. Stefano Branca, director of the INGV's Volcanoes department, told Corriere della Sera: 'We cannot know how long Etna's activity will last. Thanks to monitoring systems, we can anticipate its start, but not its end.' For aviation, the volcano's activity level is not the only critical parameter: wind direction determines the ash cloud's trajectory and, consequently, which airspace sectors may be closed. An INGV official noted that south to southwest winds made the chances of a quick resumption of operations at Fontanarossa 'truly minimal'. SAC says it is working with the Civil Protection, local institutions, and other Sicilian airports to preserve connectivity and passenger assistance as much as possible. 'An eruptive phenomenon of this magnitude, during the period of heaviest air traffic, requires the contribution and coordination of all stakeholders,' the Catania operator stated. The crisis has also fueled political debate. Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said: 'What is out of place is not Etna, but the airport.' According to estimates cited by several Italian media, the impact on Sicily's tourism sector alone could already amount to between 12 and 24 million euros.