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Mount Etna's biggest eruption in months grounds planes as plumes of smoke force airport closures

The lava flow pours into the Valle Del Bove from the active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, close to Messina and Catania

[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.]

Spectacular: Lava flows from the volcano(Image: AFP)

Molten debris spits across the bright night sky like shooting stars during the biggest eruption in months from Sicilys Mount Etna.

The lava flow pours into the Valle Del Bove from the active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, close to Messina and Catania.

The latest eruption of the volcano forced the closure of nearby Catania and Comiso airports 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. All together more than 50 flights were affected.

It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate and is the tallest active volcano in Europe.

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