Pisa airport closed due to forest fires

Arson blamed for wrecking the travel plans of around 12,000 passengers

Smoke signal: arsonists have been blamed for the forest fires around Pisa (AFP/Getty Images)

One of Italy’s busiest airports has remained closed almost all day because of severe forest fires in the area.

An Alitalia flight took off from Pisa's Galileo Galilei Airport shortly before 7am, but no planes have left since then.

Among the 40-plus cancellations are Ryanair flights to and from Stansted and East Midlands, easyJet to Bristol, Jet2 to Manchester and Newcastle and British Airways to Gatwick and Heathrow.

The last landing was at 3am, when a Ryanair flight from Gothenburg touched down. Since then more than 40 arrivals have been cancelled.

Around 12,000 passengers have had their flights cancelled so far today.

Eurocontrol told airlines: “Not available for departures or arrivals on 26th between 0500-1738 UTC [7am to 7.38pm] due to firefighting activity.”

Ryanair initially scheduled departures to Stansted, Leeds Bradford, Valencia, Brussels and Catania simultaneously for 7.40pm, just after the restriction was due to be lifted, but later delayed them by several hours.

An easyJet departure to Luton was planned to depart four hours late, with a Gatwick flight three hours behind schedule.

Pisa is one of the top 12 busiest in Italy, handling an average of around 15,000 passenger per day.

The Foreign Office said: “If you're due to travel, contact your airline for information on any delays and cancellations.“

Passengers on easyJet's grounded flights were told: “We’re very sorry that your flight has been cancelled, and we understand that this is late notice.

“This is due to Pisa airport being closed due to fires close to the airport.”

British Airways told its Heathrow-bound travellers: “We’re very sorry, this flight has been cancelled due to airport restrictions.”

Passengers whose flights within Europe are cancelled are entitled to accommodation, meals and replacement flights, regardless of the cause.

Local news reports suggested that the fires may have been set deliberately.