Ash cloud continues to close European airports

The long arm of Eyjafjallajökull has struck again. After the havoc it caused in April, and a second wave of hassles last week, a stronger ash cloud from this grumpy Icelandic volcano caused numerous airport closures in Spain yesterday.

Today the situation has spread. The cloud that closed nineteen Spanish airports yesterday has drifted east. Italian airports at Milan, Pisa, and Florence had to shut down this morning and there are reports of delays and cancellations at Nice, France. The Iberian peninsula hasn't been totally cleared either, with airports in the northwest of Spain and Portugal closed through the morning.

Another arm of the cloud has reached back into the UK, closing several Scottish airports this morning.

Even countries not hit by the ash cloud are affected as transatlantic flights have to divert around a long curtain of ash, delaying their arrival.

The situation is changing constantly and travelers are advised to check ahead before flying. In fact, since dear old Eyjafjallajökull doesn't seem to have any intention of easing up, now might be the time to look into crossing the Atlantic on a freighter.

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