Catania Airport published a statement this morning saying: “Following the downgrade of the volcanic activity alert level from RED to ORANGE, flight operations have been cleared to resume with immediate effect.

“Airspace sectors are now fully operational again, and all takeoff and landing services have been restored.

“Passengers are still strongly advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before heading to the airport.”

Palermo Airport, on the northwest coast of Sicily, has not been disrupted by Etna's eruption.

Flights have been cancelled at Catania Airport.

Whoopi Goldberg has been stranded in Sicily following the eruption, meaning she did not appear on The View on Monday.

“I am in Sicily right now, and Mount Etna, who is one of our active volcanoes here in Italy, decided to go off today,” she said.

“I know that we got all kinds of stories about our different vacations. Well, I think my story just takes the cake.”

Flights at Catania Airport have been cancelled following the eruption.

Arrivals and departures have been grounded until at least 10am local time today.

The current alert level for Etna is yellow.

Clouds of smoke and ash coming from Mount Etna(Image: Etna Walk/AFP via Getty Images)

It is possible to hike Mount Etna, but it essential to find out about the state of activity of the volcano and the risks to which you expose yourself before the excursion.

It is advised to use authorized guides.

Frequent eruptive phases change continuously and alters the morphology of the places, creating new cones and rough lava fields, meaning some maps may not be up to date.

The Etna volcano was considered a predominantly effusive volcano, according to the Italian Civil Protection Department.

This is mainly characterised by lava flows emissions.

Hollywood star Whoopi Goldberg has been stuck in Italy after her Independence Day holiday was unexpectedly prolonged due to the eruption on Mount Etna.

TMZ reported that the star missed her regular appearance on The View, the ABC morning show where she is a regular and had been due to host today.

Whoopi Goldberg shared some intimate details about her personal life on Wednesday(Image: The View)

Are you at Catania Airport or elsewhere in Sicily? Has your flight been cancelled or delayed because of the Mount Etna eruption?

If it's safe to do so, we'd like to hear from you. Email [email protected] with your story, photos or videos.

Catania Fontanarossa Airport will now remain closed until 8pm as disruption continues following Mount Etna's latest eruption.

Passengers are being urged to check with their airline before travelling as flights continue to be cancelled.

Flights continue to be cancelled at Catania Airport.

According to the airport's latest schedule, all flights up to 7.55pm have now been cancelled, with passengers urged to check with their airline before travelling.

ITA Airways says all of its flights to and from Catania Airport will either be cancelled or rescheduled because of the eruption.

Passengers are advised to check directly with their airline.

• Mount Etna has erupted again, sending huge plumes of volcanic ash into the sky over Sicily.
• Catania Airport has suspended all arrivals and departures until at least 6pm, with passengers urged not to travel unless they have checked with their airline.
• ITA Airways says all of its flights to and from Catania will either be cancelled or rescheduled.
• Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology has raised the aviation alert level to red after detecting intense volcanic activity.
• Dramatic images show Strombolian eruptions, with lava and hot rock being blasted from the volcano.
• The latest activity began on Sunday morning, when ash started pouring from a vent on Etna's upper eastern flank before intensifying throughout the day.

The alert level for Etna is currently yellow, according to the Civil Protection Department.

The levels of alert are declared by the Department of Civil Protection, in close collaboration with the structure of civil protection of the Sicilian Region.

Angry passengers have reportedly blocked buses leaving Palermo Airport in chaotic scenes following dozens of diverted planes arriving.

Passengers have claimed that they have not been provided with transport from Palermo to their intended destination of Catania.

And there have been hundreds of people trying to board the few buses that are available.

Following a bus being blocked from leaving early this morning a person said: "We were forced to do so. Hundreds of us are here without any information."

The situation has improved with priority now given to people who have been waiting longest. Finally, boarding the buses was managed by checking boarding passes and giving priority to flights that had arrived first," said a passenger.

Many people on social media have blasted the lack of preparation considering that Mount Etna erupts regularly.

One person wrote: "It's surprising to discover that no procedure exists or has been implemented," and another said: "Hundreds of us had the impression that Etna had erupted for the first time."

Sicily Regional President Renato Schifani has promised transport for stranded passengers who have been taken to other airports on the island due to the closure of Catania Airport.

He said: "To all residents and tourists currently experiencing inconvenience due to the closure of Catania airport due to Mount Etna.

"I want to say that the Region is here. Those landing in Palermo, Trapani, or Comiso will find an organised service to reach Catania and eastern Sicily safely and promptly. I thank all the agencies, transport operators, and the Civil Protection Department who are working tirelessly during these hours.

"Sicily knows how to respond to emergencies by working as a team. We encourage travelers to consult the official channels of the airports and the Region. We will continue to monitor the situation until Catania airport is fully operational again."

Clouds of ash are rising up a mile into the sky and it is the direction the wind is blowing it that is having a key impact on Catania Airport.

Lying just 19 miles to the south, the airport often has to close during eruptions and the fact the wind is moving southwards is making the situation with the ash worse.

And the lack of roads and rail infrastructure in Sicily makes air travel necessary for many people. Flights between Rome and Catania and Milan-Catania generate high annual traffic.

Ash is being blown southwards by the wind(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Catania Airport is the second biggest in southern Italy and its closure caused by eruptions from Mount Etna is causing travel chaos.

There are around 10 million passengers who pass through the airport each year and it is a crucial hub with many of the biggest global airlines using it.

So far as many as 130 flights, both departures and arrivals have been cancelled while dozens more have been diverted to other airports on Sicily, notably Palermo.

An update from Catania Airport says that there will be no flights arriving or leaving until at least 6pm.

It states: "Following the volcanic activity that occurred during the night between Sunday, July 5th and Monday, July 6th, all incoming flight operations remain suspended, and departures are fully blocked, currently until 6:00 PM.

"Passengers are kindly requested not to travel to the airport unless they have first checked the status of their flight with their airline. Further updates will follow."

A cloud of ash coming from Mount Etna(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The naval NAS Sigonella and Sigonella air base have been closed due to ash from Mount Etna.

Due to its strategic location in the Mediterranean, the Italian military base is also a joint US facility.

Known as "The Hub of the Med" the base provides crucial operational and logistical support for the US 6th Fleet and NATO forces across Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia.

Catania Airport is one of the two main airports in Sicily and serves somes of the world's largest airlines but it regularly has to close for volcanic eruptions.

Etna is just 29 miles away from the airport and flights are currently suspended until at least 2pm.

This includes flights from easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 or British Airways with many planes heading to Catania diverted to Palermo.

There have also been some transatlantic departures affected, such as a Delta Air Lines flight to New York and an Air Canada flight to Montreal.

Mount Etna has now been erupting for 10 days as it goes through one of its most active phases this year.

A slow lava flow began moving towards the Valle del Leone from a fracture that opened around 3,000 meters at the base of the Northeast Crater on June 26.

Since then it has continued highly energetic and sustained eruptions including a significant lava flow on July 5.

Activity has shifted between flank fissures and summit craters, causing localized ashfall and major flight disruptions at Catania Airport.

Lava flowing from Mount Etna this month(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Flights have been cancelled from Catania Airport with a cloud of ash rising 4,500m over Mount Etna.

The Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation states that the ash is moving in a southerly direction.

It reads: "Strong strombolian activity is observed at summit craters, strong ash emission ongoing. Volcanic height: estimated volcanic height is about 4,500m at the top."

The ash cloud is moving in a southerly direction(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

A yellow alert is in place by Italian authorities following the eruption of Mount Etna.

This means that there is an above normal level of volcanic activity and it is on the second of four levels - with the maximum red.

The Civil Protection Department states: "Alert levels describe the state of volcano activity, i.e. whether the volcano is in a state of equilibrium or disequilibrium. They are identified based on a combination of monitoring parameters and data from any ongoing events.

"They are represented by four colours - green, yellow, orange and red - which are indicative of the possible evolution of the state of volcano activity towards event scenarios "of national importance", which require to be faced with extraordinary means and powers, through the coordinated intervention of a plurality of subjects."

A passenger says that he was waiting for four hours at Palermo Airport after his flight to Catania was diverted - and without buses he has had to pay 600 euros for a taxi.

He wrote on Facebook: "Departure with over an hour delay, flight diverted to Palermo and, once landed, another hour waiting in the plane without any information. At the airport, total chaos: no order in flight management, no indication of buses to reach Catania, no assistance and not even a bottle of water after hours of waiting.

"We’ve been standing for about four hours waiting for buses that never came. In the end we were forced to pay for a taxi, spending around 600€, not knowing if we will ever get a refund.

"Etna’s activity is certainly not something new, it’s a situation that happens regularly. For this reason you would expect an efficient organizational plan and an appropriate assistance for passengers. On the contrary, the impression was of a total improvisation.

"At this point it would have been much better to cancel the flight, instead of passengers wasting hours to land at an airport two and a half hours away from their final destination, without any support."

Smoke coming from Mount Etna(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

A statement on Facebook from Palermo Airport reads: "Since July 5, because of the eruption of Etna, Palermo Airport has done its best, facing the commercial traffic on July 5, with 114 incoming flights and 112 departures, and on July 6 (115 and 117) - the arrival of 33 additional flights (situation updated on July 6 at 7.30am) diverted from #catania for the #volcano emergency.

"At this moment, we are aware that there may be some inconveniences, we are working at a great pace to ensure the best travel experience for passengers transitioning from our stopover and to assist. Every passenger on Catania flights will be taken on buses arranged by the airlines to Fontanarossa Airport."

A passenger has told how her diverted flight landed at Palermo at 10pm and she is still waiting this morning for a bus to Catania., calling it a "deplorable situation".

She says that due to the number of eruptions from Mount Etna, the airports should be better prepared.

"We are still waiting for buses to take us to Catania. At Palermo airport, there was very little support - a few police officers facing hundreds of angry people who tried to get on the few buses that arrived." she told Catania Today.

"There are disabled people, babies, and the elderly camped out in the airport."

Mount Etna is Europe's largest, tallest, and most active volcano.

Located on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, it rises approximately 3,400 metres above sea level, dominating the landscape between the major cities of Catania and Messina.

It is an active stratovolcano, continually changing shape and height with every summit eruption. Normally it produces mildly explosive Strombolian eruptions and slow-moving effusive lava flows.

Etna erupts multiple times a year, averaging around 13 to 17 distinct eruptive events annually during its highly active phases. Because the volcano is in a state of near-continuous persistent activity, it can experience several eruptive bursts within a single month.

Clouds of smoke and ash coming from Mount Etna(Image: Etna Walk/AFP via Getty Images)