Iceland’s main airport reopening after closure due to volcanic ash cloud

Iceland’s main airport reopening after ash closure

LONDON — Iceland’s main international airport is reopening after a three-day closure due to ash from an erupting volcano.

Keflavik Airport shut Friday after easterly winds began blowing ash from the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano toward the capital, Reykjavik.

The airport reopened Monday.

Flights across Europe were suspended for several days after the eruption began April 14. More than 100,000 flights were canceled and airlines are on track to lose more than $2 billion.

Iceland was initially largely unaffected because winds blew the ash southeast toward Europe.

Scientists say the volcano is still spewing ash, but the plume is only about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) high — not high enough to reach jet streams.