Key keywords: Mount Etna, Sicily 2024 volcano eruption, Europe largest active volcano, Catania airport suspension, Italian volcanic activity monitoring, Sicily civil defense response, Etna ash emission, Mediterranean volcanic risk On July 16, 2024, Mount Etna, Europe’s largest and most active volcano located on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, entered a new eruptive phase that sent plumes of ash and volcanic gas as high as 10 kilometers into the atmosphere, according to official reports from Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). The eruption, which started at 3:17 a.m. local time from the volcano’s southeast crater, was accompanied by mild seismic activity and slow-moving lava flows that remained contained within the upper slopes of the mountain, posing no immediate threat to populated areas at the base of Etna. Local civil defense authorities immediately raised the volcanic activity alert level to orange, the second-highest tier, and issued a series of public safety guidelines for residents in nearby towns including Catania, Taormina, and Messina. Residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed, avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, and wear protective masks if they have to go outside to prevent inhalation of fine volcanic ash particles. Schools and public community centers in 12 small towns within 10 kilometers of the volcano’s base were temporarily closed for 24 hours as a precautionary measure. As a direct result of the thick ash cloud drifting toward the east coast of Sicily, Catania Fontanarossa Airport, the busiest airport in eastern Sicily, announced a full suspension of all arriving and departing flights at 4:30 a.m. local time. Airport management confirmed that more than 120 flights were either canceled or diverted to airports in Palermo, Naples, and Bari, affecting nearly 18,000 passengers scheduled to travel through the airport on Tuesday. Operations at the airport gradually resumed at 5 p.m. the same day after teams completed full ash clearance work on runways and taxiways, though residual delays are expected to last for at least 48 hours as airlines work to clear the backlog of affected flights. INGV volcanologists noted that this eruptive event is part of Mount Etna’s regular periodic activity, which has seen more than 200 recorded eruptions over the past 50 years. They added that continuous monitoring data shows no signs of the eruption escalating to a more dangerous level in the coming days, though visitors are strictly prohibited from accessing the upper 2,000 meters of the volcano’s hiking trails until further notice. As of press time, no casualties or significant property damage have been reported related to the eruption, and local authorities have not announced any mandatory evacuation orders for residential communities near the volcano.