Icelandic Volcano

Volcanic ash is delaying air travel throughout Europe. The volcano, located in Iceland, has shut down surrounding airspace due to clouds of rock and ash spewed up in to the air. The hazard is affecting airspace as far away as 1,000 miles, thus stranding thousands of air travelers.

Among the countries affected by this natural occurance are Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Holland, France and Belgium, among others.

“So we’re talking about almost one quarter of the entire European area is closed to aircraft at the moment,” said Brian Flyn, EuroControl representative. EuroControl is a European aviation authority.

Authorities have not released information as to when the no fly zones will be cleared for use. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to erupt.

“It is likely that the production of ash will continue at a comparable level for some days or weeks,” said Einar Kjartansson, Iceland Meteorological Office geophycisist. “But where it disrupts travel, that depends.”

“The large particles of rock, which have been blown into the upper atmosphere, are then ingested into the engines. These engines are delicate machines, the rocks clog the engines which means the engines die,” Aviation expert Chris Yates told ABC News. The outlook for air travel in the surrounding European countries seems bleak, at best.