Volcanic Ash Closes European Airports

Volcanic ash from Iceland continues to disrupt air traffic across Europe, causing cancellation of around 17,000 flights, according to Eurocontrol, the intergovernmental body that manages European air travel. Forecasts suggest that the ash cloud, which can seriously harm jet engines, will continue to spread east and southeast and that flights will be affected until at least sometime Saturday.

English Channel ferry operators and Eurostar, which runs the high-speed trains between London, Paris and Brussels, are experiencing extremely high volume as passengers seek other ways of getting to their destinations. Eurostar has added services to cope with demand.

The New York Times is tracking the latest data on airport closures on its Web site.