Volcanic Ash Plume Over Europe..Updates

A volcanic ash cloud that shut down airports and tied up air traffic across Europe could turn into a long, costly headache for businesses, airlines and tourists in the United States.

April 16 (Bloomberg) -- Europe's air-travel chaos worsened as the ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano spread as far east as Moscow, cutting off parts of Britain, France and Germany and threatening weekend travel.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking to BBC Sussex radio, apologised for the inconvenience caused by the closure of UK airspace.

"I think it is partly to be absolutely sure about people's safety," he said. "We are looking at it virtually every hour to make sure we get the best meteorological advice, and give passengers the best advice."