UPDATE: Sicily's Catania airport reopens after Mount Etna eruption

The airport said late Friday afternoon that it had fully reopened, while warning of some temporary delays.

⚠️AGGIORNAMENTO. Comunichiamo ai passeggeri che è stata disposta la riapertura completa dello scalo.
In collaborazione con le compagnie aeree e tutti gli handler attivi, segnaliamo che potrebbero verificarsi alcuni temporanei ritardi dovuti alla riorganizzazione delle operazioni. pic.twitter.com/WyecR1oiG1

— Aeroporto di Catania (@CTAairport) July 5, 2024

Flights were suspended Friday morning after ash plumes from the nearby active volcano of Mount Etna shot up into the sky Thursday as high as 4.5 kilometres, according to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

COMUNICATO DI ATTIVITA' VULCANICA del 2024-07-04 16:17(UTC) - ETNA.
L'INGV-OE comunica che l'attività stromboliana a Voragine è evoluta a fontana con colonna fino a 4.5 km slm in direzione SE. Ricaduta di cenere nell'area SE etnea fino a CT. #INGV #Etna #OsservatorioEtneo pic.twitter.com/eK5q2Ma7Zb

— INGVvulcani (@INGVvulcani) July 4, 2024

Footage shared on social media on Friday showed the streets of Catania's city centre covered in thick layers of black ash, slowing down traffic.

Buongiorno da #catania#Etna pic.twitter.com/JLjVTl6xJj

— FriendZone ♍ (@vetustissima) July 5, 2024

By Friday afternoon, the airport said it had cleared the runway and resumed departures, while limiting arrivals to two per hour.

The 3,324-metres-high (10,905 feet) volcano has erupted multiple times in recent decades.

Over the last few days, its crater had begun to spit fountains of scorching lava and releasing ash.

Italian authorities also issued a red warning for another volcano north of Sicily, Stromboli - on the island of the same name - whose eruption created ash clouds.

READ ALSO: Where are Italy's active volcanoes and how dangerous are they?

Mount Stromboli - culminating at 920 metres and with a base reaching 2,000 metres below sea level - is known for being one of the only nearly constantly active volcanoes in the world, according to the INGV.

Millions of passengers transit through Catania airport every year, connecting them to eastern Sicily, among Italy's most popular tourist hotspots.