National International

Ethiopian volcano's historic eruption sends ash plume racing toward India

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar Rift and part of the Erta Ale range, erupted on November 23, shooting ash up to around 14–15 km into the atmosphere

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Shailesh Khanduri
New Update
ethiopian volcanic eruption

New Delhi: A long-dormant volcano in Ethiopia has erupted for the first time in at least 10,000 years, sending a vast ash and sulphur dioxide cloud across the Arabian Sea and over parts of western and northern India, triggering aviation advisories and flight disruptions but posing minimal additional risk at ground level, according to experts.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar Rift and part of the Erta Ale range, erupted on November 23, shooting ash up to around 14-15 km into the atmosphere (about flight level FL450) and sending dense plumes towards Yemen and Oman before the cloud started drifting east towards the Indian subcontinent, as tracked by the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) and global satellites.

By Monday morning, Indian weather watchers were warning that the high-altitude plume had stretched to the northern Arabian Sea and was on course to enter Indian airspace.

Popular weather-tracking handle IndiaMetSky, which has been mapping the cloud in real time, flagged Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan as the first states likely to be affected, followed by Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Punjab and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and the Himalayan foothills later at night. 

In its early posts, IndiaMetSky said satellite imagery showed a “thick and large ash plume” rising to FL450 and travelling northeast at around 100-120 kmph.

It projected that the cloud would impact Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan within a few hours, then move further northeast towards Delhi-NCR, Haryana and southeast Punjab by late evening, cautioning of darker, hazier skies and potential flight delays while stressing that surface-level health risks would remain low because most of the material was confined to mid and upper levels of the atmosphere. 

A subsequent update said the plume had entered the Indian subcontinent from western Rajasthan, over areas around Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Phalodi, with speeds briefly touching 120–130 kmph as it pushed further northeast.

Trace ash at 25,000-45,000 feet could not be ruled out over segments of northwestern India, but the primary concern remained aviation safety, not direct public exposure at the surface.

By mid-afternoon, IndiaMetSky reported that a sulphur dioxide-rich, moderately ash-laden band of the plume was reaching Jaipur and parts of north and north-central Rajasthan, with an outer, thinner layer already brushing Haryana.

The dense core was expected to pass over Delhi-NCR between late evening and midnight, potentially leading to “enhanced darkness” and hazier skies, with a low probability of any noticeable ash settling on the ground.

In a later alert, the handle confirmed that the plume had transited over Delhi, NCR, Haryana and adjoining Uttar Pradesh and was likely to move towards the Himalayas through the night, with small pockets of residual ash still seen over parts of Rajasthan. 

Experts said that for residents, the immediate impact is expected to be visual rather than health-related. The already-polluted winter skies over north India could appear darker or more opaque than usual, and sunsets and sunrises may take on more vivid colours because of particle scattering at high altitudes.

Health advisories have largely focused on standard winter smog precautions, wearing masks outdoors and avoiding strenuous outdoor activity, rather than any additional, volcano-specific measures, with agencies stressing that air quality at the surface is being driven primarily by local pollution sources. 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday issued a detailed advisory to airlines and airports, instructing operators to strictly avoid volcanic-ash-affected areas and flight levels, adjust flight planning and fuel uplift on the basis of updated VAAC bulletins and meteorological data, and immediately report any suspected ash encounter, including engine anomalies or cabin smoke or odour.

Airports have been told to inspect runways, taxiways and aprons for contamination and restrict operations until cleaning is completed if ash is detected. 

Following the advisory and global alerts, several international and regional services were cancelled or rerouted. Akasa Air called off its flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi for November 24 and 25, citing safety protocols linked to the ash cloud.

IndiGo cancelled and diverted select Middle East routes, including an Abu Dhabi-bound flight that was re-routed to Ahmedabad, and said its teams were tracking the situation “round the clock” with international aviation bodies to ensure safe operations.

Dutch carrier KLM cancelled its Amsterdam-Delhi sector, while other airlines adjusted routings to skirt the most affected corridors over the northern Arabian Sea and northwestern India. 

Authorities and weather agencies said the plume is expected to gradually thin out as it continues moving across northern India and towards Pakistan over November 26–27, though monitoring will remain intensive until the cloud disperses.

For now, officials have urged passengers to check with airlines for updated flight information and advised residents that any impact on air quality is likely to be marginal compared to ongoing winter pollution episodes.

Meteorologists say the rare Hayli Gubbi eruption and its long-range ash transport underline how distant geological events can ripple into Indian skies and aviation systems within hours, even without posing a direct volcanic hazard on the ground.

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