European flights halts at Iceland volcano ash

Smoke and steam hangs above the volcano in the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, which has erupted for the second time in less than a month. Volcanic ash drifting across the Atlantic required the cancellation of flights in Britain and interrupted air traffic across northern Europe, stranding thousands of passengers. Volcanic ash is a hazard to aircraft because it can affect visibility, and debris can get sucked into airplane engines and shut them down.

Passengers at Oslo Airport stay for word on their flights. Ash clouds drifting from Iceland's spewing volcano interrupted air traffic across northern Europe as airports shut down and carriers cancelled hundreds of flights.
Grounded airplanes set idle at Oslo Airport in Gardermoen, Norway. Ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano disrupted air traffic across northern Europe as authorities blocked Nordic and British airspace.

A plane approaches for a landing while a traffic light in the foreground shows red close to the Düsseldorf airport, western Germany. While air traffic is near normal in parts of Europe, it is infertile in others due to ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland.