EU--Air traffic in and out of Berlin's airports was to be shut down on Wednesday morning as ash from an Icelandic volcano continued to affect travel in Europe.
Germany's Meteorological Service said traffic in and out of the Berlin's Tegel or Schoenefeld airports would be closed at 11 a.m. local time, or 5 a.m. ET.
The ash from the Grimsvotn volcano had already forced the closure of airports in Bremen, Hamburg and Luebeck. Clearing was forecast for Hamburg later Wednesday.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control organization,also said Wednesday Polish airspace may affected by light ash, and was urging travellers to check with their airlines for flight status.
Eurocontrol said that approximately 500 flights were cancelled Tuesday from the approximately 29,000 that would have been expected today across Europe.
The Grimsvotn volcano began erupting on Saturday, sending clouds of ash high into the air. The amount of ash spewing from the volcano tapered off dramatically on Tuesday, however, said Elin Jonasdottir, a forecaster at Iceland's meteorological office. She added that because the plume has decreased in height — it's now at about 5,000 metres — the ash won't travel far and will most likely fall to the ground near its source.
