Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, local authorities said, bringing fresh travel troubles to the crisis-plagued Italian airport. The 3,330 metre high volcano burst into action overnight on Sunday, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The lava flow subsided before dawn, but ash was still coming from one of the craters. Children sitting on a rock looking at smartphones at night ‘It’s a special stretch of coast because Mount Etna hovers over it like a spirit’: Antonio Denti’s best phone picture Read more Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, were set to remain suspended until 6am on Tuesday morning, the airport operator said in a statement, dashing hopes they could resume on Monday night. A car covered in volcanic ash emitted by Mount Etna. A car covered in volcanic ash emitted by Mount Etna. Photograph: Fabrizio Villa/NurPhoto/Getty Images Passengers were advised to check with airlines before heading to the airport on Tuesday. Incoming flights were diverted to other airports in Sicily on Monday. The cancellations come at the peak of the summer holiday season in Italy, while Tuesday is a public holiday. Catania mayor Enrico Trantino banned the use of motorcycles and bicycles in the city for 48 hours – because many streets were covered in ash – and ordered cars to drive no faster than 30kph (19mph). The ash can quickly become slippery on roads and increase the risk of accidents. Lava flows from Etna. Lava flows from Etna. Photograph: Salvatore Allegra/AP The latest cancellations at Catania airport, which attracts more arrivals than the island’s capital, Palermo, came a month after a fire at a terminal building led to weeks of disruptions for passengers. The eruption was singaled last week when Etna emitted gas rings. The extremely rare phenomenon occurs when gas bubbles are pushed through a narrow shaft in the volcano, which causes a rotational movement of the margins of the puff of gas, making it acquire a ring shape. The are propelled hundreds of metres into the air. Smoke rings, composed of a mixture of smoke, steam and other gases are expelled at high speed, as the rarely seen weird phenomenon appears above above Etna before it erupts. Smoke rings, composed of a mixture of smoke, steam and other gases are expelled at high speed, as the rarely seen weird phenomenon appears above above Etna before it erupts. Photograph: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and has erupted frequently in the past 500,000 years. The last major eruption of Etna was in 1992. Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report You"ve read 6 articles in the last year Article count on … there is a good reason why not to support the Guardian. Not everyone can afford to pay for news right now. That is why we keep our journalism open for everyone to read, including in Egypt. If this is you, please continue to read for free. But if you are able to, then there are three good reasons to support us today. 1. Our quality, investigative journalism is a scrutinising force at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more 2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner pulling the strings, so your money directly powers our reporting 3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message Help power the Guardian’s journalism for the years to come, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just $2. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.