Airport closures

Airports from the United Kingdom to the Baltics have shut down as the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull continued to spew ash across Europe on Friday.

Poland also shut down nearly all of its airspace, and officials early on Friday said they may be forced to postpone the funeral of President Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash in Russia last week.

But relatives of Kaczynski have insisted the ceremony proceed as planned, according to presidential aide Jacek Sasin.

"The will of the family is that in no circumstances should the date of the funeral ceremonies be changed, and that they should go ahead as planned," Sasin told reporters.

Dozens of foreign dignitaries, including US President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel, were scheduled to fly to Poland for the funeral on Sunday.

Closures across Germany

German authorities closed at least 11 of the nation's 16 international airports on Friday, including airports in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Frankfurt.

Leif Erichson, spokesman for Berlin's two airports Tegel and Schoenefeld, said there was no chaos at the airport.

"People are all calm and quiet," he told Deutsche Welle. "The airlines are talking to their passengers, they are explaining what will happen the whole day. So I am happy to say that there is no chaos."

Europe's air traffic agency Eurocontrol said it expected about 17,000 flights to be cancelled on Friday, or about 60 percent of a normal day's air traffic. It said the volcanic ash cloud continues to drift east and southeast, and that the impact would likely continue into Saturday, meaning flights may not be normalized until next week.

Safety first

Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of rock and glass that can seriously damage airplane engines. Economic fallout from the ash cloud is likely to be high, but Erichson said the safety of passengers takes first priority.

"I think in this moment we all want to say safety first. That's important," he said.

The eruption, which started erupting on Wednesday, has also melted the glacier that surrounded the volcano, causing flash floods and evacuations in southwestern Iceland. Icelandic geologist Reynir Boedvarsson said because volcanoes are so unpredictable, there is no telling how long the eruption could last.

"This could go on for days, weeks, maybe even months," he said. "All of Europe could be affected by these eruptions, even North America, depending on how the wind develops. As long as the ash is spewing out as powerfully as it is now, it could interfere with air travel in an enormous area."

Author: Andrew Bowen
Editor: Chuck Penfold