Ethiopia Volcano Ash Cloud Disrupts India Flights, Airlines Issue Urgent Alerts
They added that only “marginal temperature changes” may occur due to the ash acting like cloud cover.
Ethiopia Volcano Ash Cloud Disrupts India Flights, Airlines Issue Urgent Alerts
Ethiopia’s “Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted for the first time with a massive ash plume in nearly 12,000 years. It has drifted thousands of kilometres to India; that has caused flight cancellations, hazy skies, and fresh concern for aviation safety.
According to local residents quoted in regional reports, the long-dormant volcano erupted on Sunday, November 23, in Ethiopia’s Afar region. It has sent thick plumes up to 14 km high. Many eyewitnesses in Ethiopia described this moment “like a sudden bomb had been thrown.”
Meteorologists tracking satellite data said that the ash cloud moved rapidly across the Red Sea with a speed of 120–130 km/h. It entered India over the Jodhpur–Jaisalmer region and reached Delhi by Monday night. Weather trackers highlighted that the plume has also covered areas of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and northwest Maharashtra and is likely to brush the Himalayas before drifting toward China.
The ash mass is concentrated between 25,000 and 45,000 feet. It means the primary impact is on aviation routes rather than ground-level air quality. IndiaMetSky Weather said the unusual plume could make skies appear “darker and hazier than usual”, though it poses minimal direct health risk.
Flight Disruptions Across India
As the ash cloud entered Indian airspace, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an urgent advisory and instructed airlines to strictly avoid volcanic-ash-affected flight levels, adjust routing, revise fuel planning, and immediately report any suspected ash encounters or engine anomalies.
The eruption has already disrupted air travel significantly:
Air India cancelled 11 flights, including services to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and international routes.
Akasa Air suspended flights to Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi for November 24–25.
KLM cancelled its Amsterdam–Delhi round-trip flights.
IndiGo’s Kannur–Abu Dhabi flight diverted to Ahmedabad to avoid the plume.
SpiceJet issued a travel warning for passengers flying to and from Dubai.
A senior aviation official told a national daily that if ash particles settle over Delhi or Jaipur, “Indian aviation could be severely impacted.”
Impact on Air Quality
While Delhi woke up to hazier skies, officials from the IMD said the volcanic plume is too high to cause major pollution spikes. They added that only “marginal temperature changes” may occur due to the ash acting like cloud cover.
Experts say the incident underscores how natural events thousands of kilometres away can rapidly affect India’s skies, safety protocols, and travel plans.