国际英语新闻：Air traffic disruptions continue in Europe amidst volcanic ash plume

Eurocontrol said about 16,000 flights across Europe were called off on Saturday due to the ash cloud.

The reason to ground all planes is because the engines could become clogged up and stop working while trying to fly through the ash.

The paralyzed air transportation has stranded thousands of passengers, leading to countless delays and missed appointments, meetings, holidays, homecomings and other important visits.

Sunday's state funeral for the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, who were killed in a plane crash near the western Russian city of Smolensk on April 10th, may also see fewer important guests because of the ash cloud.

Polish authorities said that up to 80 foreign delegations were expected to attend the funeral, and the guests include U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain's Prince Charles and presidents and prime ministers of a number of other countries.

However, due to the Polish governemnt's unwillingness to delay the date of the funeral and the ban on the country's air travel on Friday, many of the guests are facing troubles getting there on time.

Passengers sleep on the bench at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 17, 2010. More than 110 international flights were cancelled at the airport on Saturday, due to the cloud of ash that erupted from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southeast Iceland.

The governments of the United States and Russia have yet to say if their leaders will try to make the trip.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said she was busy making her way across southern Europe on Saturday after being stranded in Lisbon, and still intends to be at the funeral.

Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic was preparing to drive the 300 km from his capital city of Bratislava to attend the funeral.

Seeking to keep up with their already disrupted schedules, stranded air travelers were seeking many different ways, such as renting a car, taking a train or even a taxi.

The volcano started to spew thick clouds of black and brown ash into the air on Wednesday below Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier.

The volcano first erupted last month and the eruption lasted for three weeks. The eruption was much weaker compared to the current one.

Experts say the eruption is showing signs of ebbing but could continue to erupt for days or even months to come.

The ash had fallen to a height of 5 to 8 km from 6 to 11 km since the volcano first started erupting earlier this week, said Iceland's Meteorological Office.

The total volume of magma also appeared to be declining with the volcano looking less volatile on Saturday as heavy pulsing and violent explosions turned to steadier eruptions.