A plume of volcanic ash rises six to 11 kilometres (3.8 to 7 miles) into the atmosphere, from a crater under about 656 feet (200 metres) of ice at the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland. A huge ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone on Thursday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The empty counters of German airline Air Berlin are seen at the western German airport of Cologne-Bonn after the airport was closed in the early hours of April 16.
A passenger cries as she queues at the departures area in Madrid Airport.
Women pray as they wait at the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport following the cancellation of flights, in Malaga, southern Spain.
Stranded passengers seek advice at an information desk at City Airport after all flights were cancelled when ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused the UK's airspace to be closed, in London.
A screen informs passengers at City Airport that all flights have been cancelled.
Passengers crowd in the departure lobby as their flights for Europe were canceled at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea.