Hayli Gubbi Volcano Eruption: Ash Cloud From Ethiopia Drifts Across Arabian Sea, Impacts Flights In India | India News

The ash cloud from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, is now drifting towards northern India, prompting flight cancellations and warnings to airlines and airports. The eruption sent huge ash clouds across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman, before the cloud expanded over the Northern Arabian Sea and began moving towards the Indian subcontinent.

According to IndiaMetSky Weather, the ash, which consists mainly of volcanic ash, sulfur dioxide and fine glass and rock particles, moves at a speed of 100-120 kmph at altitudes between 15,000-25,000 feet and up to 45,000 feet. Heavy patches of the smoke are currently passing through parts of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, but experts say air quality at ground level is unlikely to deteriorate because the ash is high in the atmosphere.

“The ash cloud is about to enter Gujarat (west coast) and move towards Rajasthan, northwestern Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab by 10 pm and will later affect the Himalayas and other regions,” IndiaMetSky Weather said.

The agency added: “A large ash cloud can be seen extending from the #HayliGubbi Volcano area to #Gujarat. It is between 15-25,000 to 45,000 feet in the sky and contains mostly volcanic ash, sulfur dioxide and some small glass/rock particles, causing the sky to appear darker and affecting air traffic.”

Flight Cancellations and Aviation Consultancy

Many airlines, including Akasa Air, IndiGo and KLM, canceled their flights on Monday due to the threat of volcanic ash.

Akasa Air canceled its flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, scheduled for 24 and 25 November.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines canceled the service Amsterdam-Delhi (KL 871) and the return flight Delhi-Amsterdam (KL 872).

IndiGo stated on

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an advisory instructing airlines to avoid ash-affected areas and adjust flight planning, routing and fuel calculations according to ongoing volcanic ash updates. Airlines have been told to immediately report suspected ash incidents, including engine performance abnormalities, cabin odor or smoke.

DGCA also instructed airport operators to conduct emergency inspections on runways, taxiways and aprons in case ashfall affects airport operations, and to constantly monitor the situation using satellite images and meteorological data.

The volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday morning, covering the nearby village of Afdera with dust. According to Afar TV, the incident caused moderate tremors around the town of Erta Ale and Afdera. Hayli Gubbi is located approximately 15 kilometers (nine miles) southeast of the active Erta Ale volcano.

The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) confirmed that the eruption began at 8:30 am UTC and has since ended, although “a large ash cloud was moving towards northern India”. Meteorological agencies and airlines continue to monitor the ash cloud’s trajectory to ensure safe air operations across the region.

(with ANI entries)