Ash clouds close airports in Paris, other French cities until Monday

The airports in Paris and some other northern French cities will remain closed until Monday because of lingering volcanic ash clouds over much of Europe, the government said Saturday.

The announcement followed a ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Francois Fillon that analyzed the situation in the transport sector and the problems of health and insurance.

According to French media, 35 French airports are closed or will be because of the ash clouds that can be catastrophic to plane engines.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of France announced the closure of French airports Thursday. The DGCA has since repeatedly extended the closure of French airspace.

The eruption early Wednesday from a volcano on top of the glacier Eyjafjallaj-kull in the south of Iceland, has caused a cloud of ash that has severely disrupted air traffic in much of Europe and stranded people around the globe.

Source: Xinhua