Europe, Volcanic Ash | featured news

Britain and the Netherlands shut or planned to close major airports because of volcanic ash from Iceland on Monday, threatening large-scale air traffic disruption in Europe at the start of the working week.

A mammoth cloud of ash is stretching 1,250 miles across the North Atlantic and forcing aircraft to divert south into a long-haul traffic jam, Irish and European air authorities said.

A no fly zone may have to be imposed over Ireland on Tuesday due to volcanic ash drifting south from Iceland, the Irish Aviation Authority said on Monday.

Europe's skies were open for business on Wednesday but, with so many planes having been grounded by the volcanic ash from Iceland, it could take days or even weeks to clear the backlog.

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New eruptions send volcanic ash cloud toward Britain and threaten plans to resume flights.

The aviation industry sharply criticized European governments on Monday for their handling of airport closures, saying there ...

A huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano spreading out across Europe is causing air travel chaos on a scale unseen since the September 11 attacks and costing airlines hundreds of millions of dollars.