Ash Cloud Over Europe Causes Problems

Remember that Iceland volcano we blogged about at the end of last month? Turns out that baby — Eyjafjallajokull — is causing problems across the pond, as an ash cloud over Europe coming from the erupting glacier is grounding flights across the continent, and the canceled flights could cost airlines an estimated $16 million every day.

Depicted in the Iceland volcano satellite image above (via NASA), the ash cloud contains small particles of glass that can halt a plane’s engines in the air, causing it to literally plummet while the pilot tries to restart the engine.

As many as 17,000 planes might be cancelled today. The German airline Lufthansa flight status is grim, for example, as the Frankfurt Airport closed this morning because of the ash.

Although inconvenient to travelers, the canceled flights are especially hard for suppliers that rely on air shipment. NYT reports that companies are turning to ferry and road transport while waiting for flights to resume.