Ashy Plume of Grits keeps President Obama Grounded

Air travel has been cancelled throughout the world to avoid the damage from the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull. . The spitting inferno sit below a glacier ice cap. Clouds of ashes and gritty debris are traveling miles into the sky. The magmum explosions particles can cause damage to the plane engine.

The Icelandic volcano that has kept much of Europe land-bound is far from finished spitting out its grit, and offered up new mini-eruptions Saturday that raise concerns about longer-term damage to world air travel and trade.

Many travelers are finding themselves unable to reach their travel destination because of the air restrictions.

The ash plume, which reaches several miles into the air, has been pushed southeast into Britain, Scandinavia, and into the European continent itself, hovering over the skies of western and central Europe and as far east as Ukraine. Twenty-six countries, including France, Britain, Italy, and Germany, have canceled flights, with several countries extending the ban through Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

The belching volcano eruption disrupted plans for United States President Barack Obama to attend Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife funeral.

The biggest flight canceled Saturday by the enormous ash cloud: Air Force One to Poland. President Obama, citing the thick volcanic spew over Europe, scrubbed plans to attend Sunday's Krakow funeral for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife

The coupe were among 96 individuals killed on April 10 in a plane crash in western Russia

How long before air travel returns to normal is uncertain.