Hundreds of tourists have been queuing for hours at Malta International Airport with no word yet on when flights to northern and central Europe will resume.

Flights have been disrupted since yesterday because of a cloud of volcanic ash from a volcano in Iceland.

Sources told timesofmalta.com that there were also some 4,000 Maltese stranded in European airports, including many who intended to come here for the Pope’s visit. Among them are a number of dignitaries who were stranded in Brussels. They tried to take a train to Milan to get a flight from there, but flights are fully booked till Tuesday.

Also trapped is Ivan Grech, the lead singer of Winter Moods, who is expected to perform during the Pope’s meeting with young people at Valletta Waterfront on Sunday. He is in Dublin.

No one is ready to predict how far the cloud will go, or when the dust will disperse, as long as the Icelandic volcano continues to erupt.

More than 15,000 flights in Europe are estimated to have been cancelled since yesterday as more countries are closing their airspace.