ATLANTA — An enormous ash cloud from a remote Icelandic volcano caused the biggest flight disruption since 9/11 Thursday as it drifted over northern Europe and stranded travelers on six continents.
VIEW: Nasa Satellite Images Of Volcanic Ash
Officials said it could take days for the skies to become safe again in one of aviation's most congested areas.
"People can't remember a time when it has been on this scale," said Patrick Horwood of the air traffic service. "Certainly never involving a volcano."
The cloud, floating miles above Earth and capable of knocking out jet engines, wrecked travel plans for tens of thousands of people.
Atlanta Based Delta Air Lines announced it is offering customers whose flight plans may be affected by the ash cloud the ability to make one-time changes to their travel schedules without fees.
A British Airways flight scheduled to depart from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was canceled due to a plume of volcanic ash drifting over the United Kingdom, according to the airline's Web site. Flight BA0226 was set to depart Atlanta for London Heathrow Airport at 9:15 p.m. Thursday.
Non-emergency flights in Britain were canceled, and most will stay grounded until at least midday Friday. Authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium also closed their air space.
France shut down 24 airports, including the main hub of Charles de Gaulle in Paris, and several flights out of the U.S. had to double back.
A volcano beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier began erupting Wednesday for the second time in less than a month, triggering floods and shooting smoke and steam miles into the air. About 700 people from rural areas near the volcano were evacuated Thursday because of flooding.
The U.S. Geological Survey said about 100 aircraft have run into volcanic ash from 1983 to 2000. In some cases engines shut down briefly after sucking in volcanic debris, but there have been no fatal incidents.
In 1989, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747 flew into an ash cloud from Alaska's Redoubt volcano and lost all power, dropping from 25,000 feet to 12,000 feet before the crew could get the engines restarted. The plane landed safely.
In another incident in the 1980s, a British Airways 747 flew into a dust cloud and the grit sandblasted the windscreen. The pilot had to stand and look out a side window to land safely.