Volcanic eruption in Iceland creates ash and cancels flights around the world. A massive ash cloud spewed from an Iceland volcano Wednesday and moved over Europe, and has cancelled flights around the world Thursday and Friday.
It is dangerous for an engine of an airplane to fly near the ash and causes a significant safety risk for passengers. As a result, airports are closed and over 16,000 flights in Europe have been cancelled. Travelers have been stranded on six continents around the world.
This is the largest worldwide flight disruption since the 2001 terrorist attacks when all airports around the US were closed for several days.
Scroll down to see photos of the massive Iceland ash cloud.
Flights to and/or from airports in the US, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Scandinavia, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland (among others) have been cancelled Thursday and Friday.
Airlines have been busy rescheduling flights. Some Salt Lake City travelers who have international flights to Europe have been rescheduled with up to a one week delay. All airlines have urged customers to call before heading to the airport.
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Sources: CNN and the Associated Press
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