Photo Gallery Slowly, Europe Flies Again
Wheels up: Airlines were back in business after authorities lifted the flight ban in Germany on Tuesday.
But it's still expected to take days for air traffic to return to normal.
A mechanic inspects an airplane's jet engine in Frankfurt. Germany's busiest airport on a normal schedule, Frankfurt had only 265 takeoffs and landings Tuesday.
Changing winds: Ash from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull is expected to start heading towards the Arctic later in the week.
Black sheep: An Icelandic sheep farmer struggles with a ewe stained black by volcanic ash. Farms near Eyjafjallajökull need to be evacuated because the ash has contaminated local grazing fields.
A blanket of ash: Farmers clean the roof of a farm building near the volcano.
London's Heathrow Airport, the largest in Europe, was opened Tuesday to air traffic for the first time in five days. The first flight -- and its happy passengers (pictured) -- arrived from Vancouver, Canada, shortly before 11 p.m. local time.
Passengers around the world are still waiting to get to Europe. Here, passengers at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, check their flight schedules.
The US Army was unable to transport wounded soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq to a base in Germany because of the ash cloud.
A day in the sun: A British couple sunbathe at Lisbon's Portela Airport as they wait for European airspace to open.
At New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, free massages were given to stranded passengers.
All aboard: Stranded travelers heading to Germany board buses Tuesday at Madrid's Barajas Airport. Madrid has become a hub for stranded passengers wishing to find alternate routes to their destinations.
Crossing the English Channel: In Le Havre, France, stranded British travelers board a ferry on Tuesday.
The Royal Navy's HMS Albion picks up stranded British travelers in Santander, Spain.
More and more European countries have opened their airspace on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Zürich, a passenger examines the departures board.
Passengers filled the departures hall at Frankfurt Airport on Wednesday morning.
