Mount Etna in Sicily erupted on Monday morning, causing travel disruption across the region and forcing Catania Airport to suspend flights for safety reasons.
Travellers are being rerouted to Palermo, which is about 200km away. The eruption follows volcanic activity first reported last week.
The Express reports that "continuous ash emissions" were observed pouring from the volcano's Northeast Crater last week. On Monday morning, an eruption cloud 4km high was seen rising above Mount Etna.
The INGV Etneo Observatory has issued a red flight alert, known as a VONA, or Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation. Aircraft bound for Catania Airport will be redirected until at least 4pm today because the facility's C1 sector remains closed.
This is not the first eruption from Mount Etna this year. In July, the volcano caused similar disruption at Catania Airport.
The volcano is known for its regular emissions and ash activity. Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reports that Etna is undergoing "variable-rate degassing".
"A rapid evolution of the ongoing phenomena towards more energetic activity with the formation of eruption columns, ash clouds, and collapse of portions of the summit cones with the formation of pyroclastic flows cannot be ruled out," the institute said in a statement.
Passengers travelling to Sicily are advised to check their arrangements before departure. "A new VONA will be issued if conditions change significantly or colour code changes," the Etna Volcano Observatory warning stated.
Mount Etna Eruption Disrupts Sicily Flights