European countries have extended air travel bans over the continent, which were put in place three days ago due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland. New columns of smoke and ash erupted yesterday, adding to the clouds volcanic ash that have paralyzed activity at Europe's airports. The volcanic dust contains tiny particles of glass and rock that can damage the engines and frames of airplanes. Officials in Iceland have said the eruption "could continue for days or even months." The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, or Eurocontrol, has announced that 12,000 flights were canceled yesterday as a result of the ash clouds over Europe. A number of Egyptian airports saw widespread disruptions of flights to and from Europe, as passengers remained stranded in the airport terminals. 48 flights were canceled at the Cairo, Hurghada and Luxor airports, most of them heading to European destinations. Egypt Air announced that it has re-issued tickets free of charge for passengers with reservations on canceled flights. Alaa Ashour, president of the company, said that Egypt Air's call center was working around the clock to respond to passenger inquiries. The call center can be reached from a mobile phone at 1717 and from any landline at 0900700000. Salah Mohamed Mahmoud, head of the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, emphasized that the Middle East was very safe as it is far from the world's volcanic belt. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
