8,000 left stranded as Catania airport fire cancels 57 Air Malta flights

A total of 57 Air Malta flights were cancelled due to the Catania airport fire between 17 July to 2 August, the national airline has confirmed.  

The flight cancellations left over 8,000 passengers stranded after Air Malta was forced to cancel flights to and from the airport, due to a fire that engulfed the airport’s arrivals lounge during last month’s heat dome over the Mediterranean. 

“Air Malta has been limited in accepting additional bookings for travel during the period due to the airport’s reduced operations,” a spokesperson said. 

The airline said there is currently no mechanism in place for Air Malta to be compensated for these enforced cancellations. “Air Malta continues to operate with reduced schedules to and from Catania in accordance with the official notices being issued by Catania Airport authorities,” she said. “Up until now, there has been no confirmation from Catania Airport when they expect to resume full operations.” 

Questions on how much the cancellations have cost the airline remained unanswered. 

Virtù Ferries managing director Henri Saliba said the company, which runs the daily sea crossing between Malta and Sicily, received a number of bookings as a result of Air Malta’s cancellation.“Most were stranded either in Malta or in Catania. We managed to accommodate all the requests even if not particularly significant numbers.” 

On the evening of 17 July, fire engulfed the arrivals lounge at Catania’s Vincenzo Bellini airport. No serious injuries were reported, but some passengers received medical care after inhaling toxic fumes, while others were treated for shock. 

The fire broke out in the arrivals lounge at the lower level of the airport terminal at around 11:30pm. The blaze caused thick black fumes inside the terminal, reducing visibility as security personnel shepherded panicked passengers out onto the road. 

Fire-fighters were immediately on site but it took them hours to put out the flames and even after the fire was controlled, the terminal remained engulfed in smoke. Newspaper La Sicilia reported that the fire may have started following a malfunction in an electricity board. 

The airport has so far been unable to get its operations in order at a time of peak tourist arrivals in Sicily.