New Zealand Volcano Disrupts Air Travel

Thousands of airline passengers were stranded Sunday after the Mount Ruapehu volcano spewed ash, closing Auckland International Airport and seven other North Island airports.

Sixteen Air New Zealand flights in and out of Auckland were canceled Sunday, and the airport was not expected to reopen until this morning, airline public relations spokesman Cameron Hill said.

Ruapehu has been spewing ash on and off since Saturday morning, but it reached a level Sunday that the aviation authority ordered a no-fly zone.