Tourists in tears between canceled flights, sultry heat and endless waits. This is it situation current ofCatania airport – which from July 16 works in half for the fire broke out in the "Arrivals" of Terminal A, the largest one - causing a catastrophic series of inconveniences to passengers, including canceled flights e hijacked to other Sicilian airports: Comiso, Trapani, Palermo. But where are we? When is the complete reopening of Catania airport?
“Do you think it pleases me to see people crammed outside under tents? No, not at all,” she said Nico Torrisi, managing director of Sac, the management company of Catania Airport. "But unfortunately a fire has broken out, I ask myself a few questions about the management of the flames in its early stages, but I'll let the judiciary work which will ascertain responsibilities".
What's going on at Catania airport?
Passengers who are not informed by airlines of cancellations or rerouted flights. Long waits spent outside the airport in the heat and with few places in the shade (you enter two hours before the flight to load the baggage in the hold and an hour before to board).
To try to limit the damage - pending the complete reopening - also for today, Wednesday 2 August 2023, Catania Airport is making available free shuttle buses (, here timetables) in order to allow the connection to the various airports of the island, in order to be able to manage the large flow of passengers.
New "temporary terminal"
From Thursday 3 August, barring unforeseen events, the situation should improve slightly because Sac, together with the Air Force, has set up the "temporary terminal“, another maxi-tent of about 500 square meters – located between Terminal C and B – where check-in, security checks and boarding will take place, which will allow flights operated from Catania to be carried from the current 10 every hour (5 arrivals and 5 departures), at 14 flights every hour, (7 arrivals and 7 departures), less than the usual 21.
Catania Airport, when does Terminal A reopen?
In the meantime, the process for obtaining the necessary authorizations to reopen the terminal a after the cleanup. The mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino, told Rainews24 that Terminal A will reopen "by August 7 2023”. So that should be the date on which the Catania-Fontanarossa airport will - hopefully - return to almost full operation.
