Ash delays, reroutes trans-Atlantic flights

Hundreds of flights between Europe and North America were either delayed or canceled on Saturday due to the spreading cloud of volcanic ash stretching across much of the northern Atlantic, the European flight control agency said.

Flights had to be rerouted north over Greenland or south over Spain to avoid the 1,200-miles (2,000-kilometer)-long cloud stretching from Iceland to northern Spain, Eurocontrol said. This will increase flying times by about an hour in either direction.

"We assume that basically most of the trans-Atlantic flights will have to be rerouted on Saturday," Eurocontrol spokeswoman Kyla Evans said. "We expect substantial delays because of that." the annual Cannes Film festival which opens Wednesday would be affected by the flight disruptions. Normally, stars, journalists and fans descend in hordes on the Riviera site.

For more: The Associated Press: Ash delays, reroutes trans-Atlantic flights