And more of today’s top travel news stories.
Today in travel, we have several stories that may have flown under your radar. Among them: Mt. Etna is screwing up travel to Sicily (again); a wild brawl interrupts a flight from Australia to Qatar; Nashville Airports wants to honor Dolly Parton; and a Trump ballroom at a golf resort faces opposition due to snails.
Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news.
Some or all of this article was crafted with help from AI. An editor reviewed and vetted this article before publishing.
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Volcanic Ash From Mount Etna Halts Flights at Sicily’s Catania Airport
Flights at Sicily’s Catania airport were grounded again on Monday after ash from Mount Etna again disrupted air travel around the island. Airport operator SAC initially stopped incoming flights until 4 p.m. local time before extending the suspension to both arrivals and departures through 10 p.m.
Catania is Italy’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and a major gateway for eastern Sicily. Disruptions caused by Etna are not unusual, but the volcano’s ash emissions have been particularly intense this summer, interfering with travel during one of Sicily’s busiest tourism periods. Travelers booked through Catania should check directly with their airline before heading to the airport, as schedules may take time to recover even after operations resume.
Read more at Reuters.
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Passengers Help Restrain Two Men After In-Flight Incident From Melbourne to Doha
Passengers helped flight attendants restrain two men after a violent disturbance aboard a Qatar Airways-operated flight from Melbourne to Doha on Friday. The service, marketed by Virgin Australia as flight VA7, departed Melbourne at about 4:10 p.m.
Witness accounts said the men allegedly spat at and headbutted cabin crew members while claiming they had a gun. Other travelers then joined the crew in subduing them, with reports indicating that six or seven people were needed to restrain each man. One was secured with cable ties and the other with handcuffs.
The aircraft continued to Doha, where local authorities met the flight and took the two passengers into custody. Qatar Airways confirmed that two men had been involved in an onboard altercation and said the safety of passengers and employees remained its priority.
Read more at News.com.au.
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Nashville Airport Begins Renaming Process to Honor Dolly Parton
Nashville International Airport is moving toward a new name honoring Dolly Parton after its governing board voted unanimously to begin the renaming process. The 6-0 vote came weeks after the Tennessee singer, songwriter, and philanthropist died at age 80. A final name has not yet been chosen.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell have both supported honoring Parton at the airport. Advocates have pointed not only to her global music career but also to her philanthropic work, including the Imagination Library, and the economic influence of Dollywood, which has been estimated to generate about $1.8 billion annually for Tennessee.
The change will be a lengthy one. Renaming a 4,500-acre airport requires much more than replacing terminal signs: branding appears on vehicles, uniforms, merchandise, contracts, leases, and other infrastructure throughout the property. Airport officials say they are working with the appropriate parties to determine how Parton’s name and legacy will ultimately be incorporated.
Read more at The Guardian.
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Nine European Countries Delay Full Biometric Border Checks
The rollout of Europe’s new biometric border system is taking longer than planned in nine participating countries, including France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malta, and Switzerland. Those countries have asked for additional time to introduce Entry-Exit System checks at some border crossings after the program was supposed to become fully operational on September 6.
The delays are not nationwide suspensions. Major airports including Frankfurt and Amsterdam Schiphol are already collecting biometrics, while officials say only 12 airports remain problematic out of roughly 1,500 external border-crossing points. France has also yet to begin EES processing at the Port of Dover, where French officers conduct immigration checks before travelers cross the Channel.
The EES, which began rolling out in October 2025, records fingerprints and facial images from many non-EU travelers entering the Schengen area. EU sources say it has accumulated about 200 million registrations and resulted in roughly 70,000 travelers being refused entry, including people without required visas or with records showing previous overstays. Authorities have also used biometric records to identify people traveling with fraudulent documents.
A companion tool called Travel to Europe is intended to reduce processing time by allowing travelers to submit passport information and a facial image before their trip. It is currently operating in Sweden and Portugal, with expansion to additional countries expected.
Read more at The Guardian.
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Protected Snails and Planning Appeals Complicate Expansion at Trump’s Irish Golf Resort
President Donald Trump’s weekend visit to Ireland put renewed attention on his golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, where a planned expansion remains tied up in a dispute involving environmental protections and local planning rules. Trump attended the Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links, about 175 miles west of Dublin, during his visit.
The Trump Organization has owned the resort since 2014, and many residents and business owners credit it with bringing jobs and visitors to the rural Atlantic Coast community. Taoiseach Micheál Martin also described the property during Trump’s visit as a valuable economic asset for the area.
One proposed addition is a ballroom with capacity for 320 people. Environmental opponents contend that construction could damage habitat used by the narrow-mouthed whorl snail, a tiny mollusk protected under European Union rules. Clare County Council approved the ballroom in February but required the resort company to prepare a plan for monitoring and managing the snail population.
The company maintains that the project will not harm the species and is seeking changes to some of the conditions attached to the approval. Separately, an objector has appealed the planning permission itself, leaving a final resolution pending. Trump’s visit also brought road closures, a large police presence, and demonstrations to the Doonbeg area as the Irish Open took place.