Updated 11.52am - Catania on Monday extended closure of its airport to 8pm after an eruption of the Mt Etna volcano spewed a plume of volcanic ash.

"Because of an eruption at Etna and falling ash, flights are suspended until 8pm," the airport said on its website.

Earlier Monday, it had said departures and arrivals had been halted until 1pm.

Motorcycles, bikes ordered off the streets

Catania's Mayor, Enrico Trantino, has also prohibited the use of motorcycles and bicycles for the next 48 hours, "because several areas are covered with a layer of volcanic ash", city hall said on its website.

The ash can quickly become slippery on roads and increase the risk of accidents.

At 3,324 metres (nearly 11,000 feet), Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and has erupted frequently.

Its latest eruption, from a south-east crater, spewed volcanic ash over Rifugio Sapienza, a popular site among Maltese tourists who drive up the south side of the volcano.

Air Malta flights delayed

An Air Malta flight from Malta to Catania at 6am on Monday was delayed, initially for six hours but later extended to 9:40pm. The return flight was similarly delayed.  

The airline said its flights had been rescheduled as follows:

KM640 Malta to Catania new departure timing at 21:40pm.                      KM641 Catania to Malta new departure timing at 23:05pm.

KM644 Malta to Catania new departure timing at 23:20pm.                      KM645 Catania to Malta new departure timing at 00:50am on Tuesday.       

KM642 Malta to Catania to operate as planned at 22:00pm.                      KM643 Catania to Malta to operate as planned at 23:25pm.

The airline said this is an ongoing situation with more information to be updated if and when received. It said that those passengers who wish to rebook their tickets to another flight or date or change the destination, can contact Air Malta Call Centre on 00356 21662211. Passengers who booked their flight directly through Air Malta and wish to opt for a monetary refund, are requested to send an email to refundrequest@airmalta.com. If the flight was booked through a travel agent, passengers can contact the travel agency and ask them to submit a refund request on their behalf.

Other air traffic overflying Malta was being diverted around the ash cloud on Monday to prevent possible damage to aircraft engines. 

Catania airport had just resumed operations after blaze

The closure of Catania airport comes just days after it resumed full operations having been closed and then opened gradually following a major fire in its terminal building in mid-July.

Catania airport was also closed for a day on May 21 due to an eruption.

Around 10 million passengers last year transited through the airport, which serves the eastern part of Sicily.