Lava flows from the Mount Etna volcano o…Lava flows from the Mount Etna volcano on the southern Italian island of Sicily near Catania early on December 16, 2013. The eruption of the Mount Etna volcano in Sicily yesterday forced the closure of nearby Catania airport because of the plumes of ash billowing into the sky, airport officials said. Twenty-one scheduled departures from Catania had to be scrapped and 26 arrivals re-routed to alternative destinations. The smaller airport of Comiso in the area was also closed down. AFP PHOTO / GIOVANNI ISOLINOGIOVANNI ISOLINO/AFP/Getty Images