Rome airport fire: Flight disruptions as wildfire erupts near Fiumicino

A wildfire has broken out near Rome's airport, causing flight disruptions to workers and holidaymakers flying in and out the Italian capital. The blaze erupted in a bush area off near the airport and then moved to a nearby pine grove, fuelled by strong winds.

Italy's flagship carrier Alitalia suspended all departures for a couple of hours as airport authorities also put in place some landing restrictions.The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) later told IBTimes UK airport activities were slowly getting back to normal, with the all clear eventually given at around 5 pm local time.

Images from the scene showed dense grey smoke looming over the runaway, as firefighters attempted to tame the flames, also using firefighting planes.

In May, the same airport was evacuated and shut down due to a large fire that engulfed the Terminal 3, which is used for international flights.