Volcanic Ash Cloud | featured news

Airports in Ireland and parts of Britain were closed for hours on Tuesday because of a cloud of volcanic ash drifting south from Iceland that shut European airspace last month and could threaten summer holiday travel.

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.

Four of Europe's five largest airports remain closed due to volcanic ash threat; U.K. sends warships to rescue stranded Britons.

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

European air traffic could return to about 50 percent of normal levels Monday if weather forecasts confirm that skies over half the continent are emptying of the volcanic ash that has thrown global travel into chaos, the European Union said.

The prospects for a return to normal air travel remained far from clear, however.

Poland prepared on Sunday to bury President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, killed in a plane crash last weekend, but a volcanic ash cloud over Europe prevented many world leaders from attending.

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.