A georgian man arrested after allegedly starting fire at Rome airport

Italian police on Wednesday arrested a Georgian man suspected of starting a fire at Rome's Ciampino international airport, causing flights to be suspended, an airport authority spokesman said.

The fire broke out at the base of the control tower at the airport southeast of the capital, which mostly serves low-cost airline Ryanair.

It was quickly extinguished but take-offs and landings were "temporarily suspended", the air navigation service ENAV said.

Arriving flights were diverted to nearby Fiumicino Airport, the AGI news agency said.