Poland may delay funeral if volcano keeps Obama away

Poland may delay the funeral of the late President Lech Kaczynski if the cloud of volcanic ash disrupting air travel across Europe prevents world leaders such as US President Barack Obama from attending.

Delaying the April 18 ceremony in the southern Polish city of Krakow is “a very serious possibility”, Jacek Sasin, a minister in the presidential administration, said in an interview on the website of RMF FM radio. A delay would be “the absolute last resort” and isn’t being considered at the moment, he said at a later press conference. A decision will probably be made this afternoon, he said.

The airspace above Krakow’s airport is closed indefinitely, spokeswoman Justyna Zajaczkowska said on TVN24 television, after officials announced the closure of all but one other airport in the eastern European country. Thousands of flights were grounded yesterday after Iceland’s 5,500-foot, ice-covered Eyjafjöll volcano erupted and winds carried dust across Europe.

Kaczynski and other officials, including central bank Governor Slawomir Skrzypek and the top four commanders of Poland’s armed forces, were among 96 people killed in a plane crash outside Smolensk, Russia on April 10.

Kaczynski and his wife, Maria, are to be buried in Krakow’s Wawel castle, the resting place of Poland’s medieval kings. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are also scheduled to attend.

The White House hasn’t changed its plans and continues to monitor the situation, Andrew Paul, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Warsaw, said by phone.

European airlines may cancel half of all flights today, or as many as 15,000 connections, said Brian Flynn, the head of operations at Eurocontrol. That compares with about 8,000 cancellations yesterday, he said in a Bloomberg television interview today.

“If the current winds continue, the situation will become even more complicated,” Karina Lisowska, a spokeswoman for Poland’s Civil Aviation Office, said by phone today.