A windborne cloud of ash from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia traversed swathes of Northwest India on Monday night, crossing Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR and Punjab, hampering visibility and disrupting air traffic as it headed eastwards across the subcontinent.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the altitude of the cloud—above 10 km—meant that air pollution levels in an already struggling Delhi, where it reached around 11pm, would not be significantly affected. (ANI)
The ash came from the Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the altitude of the cloud—above 10 km—meant that air pollution levels in an already struggling Delhi, where it reached around 11pm, would not be significantly affected. IMD added the impact over cities in India was likely limited to a few hours, with the plume rapidly moving eastwards.
Akasa Air and IndiGo said several of their flights were diverted or cancelled. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory to airlines in the evening after the plume was detected over the Muscat Flight Information Region (FIR) and adjoining areas. The cloud crossed into India through Rajasthan at 6.30 pm, travelling at speeds of between 100 km/hour and 120 km/hour.
In the advisory, DGCA told airlines to avoid affected altitudes and regions according to the latest guidance. The volcanic ash advisory, issued along with an ASHTAM — a special aviation alert issued as a type of NOTAM (notice to airmen) to caution pilots about hazardous volcanic conditions—asked all Indian aviation operators to brief personnel on the ‘Operations Manual – Volcanic Ash’, ensuring strict compliance with established procedures.
Any suspected encounter with volcanic ash, including engine performance fluctuations or cabin smoke/odour, must be reported “immediately,” DGCA said.
“It began to affect Gujarat and Rajasthan from Monday evening and is likely to affect parts of Delhi-NCR by late on Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday,” M Mohapatra, IMD Director General, told this newspaper, adding surface-level impact was unlikely.
“It is in the upper levels so we will not see significant impact near the surface. It will appear as a hazy, cloudy sky with its impact expected for a few hours as it continues to move further eastwards,” he said.
“The impact over cities will mainly be a marginal rise in the temperature. Similar to clouds, the minimum will rise. It is unclear whether it will affect air quality, but any significant impact is unlikely as it is at higher levels,” Mohapatra added.
“The plume contains mostly volcanic ash, sulphur dioxide and small particles of glass or rock, which will make the sky appear darker and affect air traffic,” said Ashwary Tiwari, an amateur weatherman who runs the IndiaMetSky handle on X. The impact over cities is only likely to be for a couple of hours, he said.
However, Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at the think-tank Envirocatalysts, said this is likely to affect air quality in the region. “It may lead to a spike in pollution temporarily. Volcanic ash from as far as Ethiopia, stubble burning from Punjab and from stacks of power stations and factories can travel hundreds of kilometres,” he said.
Already, air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) is on the brink of “severe” at most locations. Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 382 at 4pm on Monday. It was 396 (“very poor”) at Ghaziabad at the same time; 397 in Noida; 382 at Greater Noida; and 232 (“poor”) in Faridabad, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
Airlines Affected
Airlines had already begun to cancel flights after noon, following the movement of the ash across the Red Sea, drifting towards the Middle East and Central Asia. IndiGo was forced to cancel six flights due to the issue. “While one of these flights originated from Mumbai, the others cancelled originated from southern India,” a person aware of the development said.
Akasa Air in a statement said, “Following recent volcanic activity in Ethiopia and the resulting ash plume in the surrounding airspace, our flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled for 24 and 25 November 2025 have been cancelled.”
“Our teams will continue to assess the situation in compliance with international aviation advisories and safety protocols and take necessary actions as required,” it said.
IndiGo, however, did not declare the number of flight cancellations, though it said its operations were affected.
“Following the recent eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia, ash clouds are reported to be drifting towards parts of western India. We understand that such news may cause concern, and we want to reassure you that your safety remains our highest priority.”
“Our teams are closely tracking the situation in coordination with international aviation bodies. We are fully prepared with all necessary precautions to ensure safe and reliable operations. Our 6E teams are available across all touchpoints to support you with any assistance you may need. We will continue to monitor the developments round the clock and keep you informed of any updates to help minimise inconvenience (if any),” it added.
A Mumbai airport official said flights of international airlines were being re-routed via Pakistani airspace. “The Pakistani airspace is shut for Indian airlines, hence the Indian airlines are expected to be impacted. We have started keeping a record of this and are monitoring the situation,” one of the officials there said.
“Flights either have to be re-routed or cancelled. While the impact on flight operations is minimal today, the situation is expected to be worse on Tuesday,” another person close to the development said.
“The ministry officials as well as the DGCA are keeping a close eye on the matter. If the ashes settle over Delhi and Jaipur by Tuesday, Indian aviation is expected to be severely affected,” he added.
DGCA’s advisory asked flight dispatch teams to continuously monitor updates to Volcanic Ash Advisories, NOTAMs, and meteorological data.
“Suspend or delay operations to impacted airports if conditions deteriorate,” it had advised on Monday evening.
Airport operators, meanwhile, were asked to closely monitor the situation.
“If volcanic ash affects an airport of operation, the operators may advise an immediate inspection of runways, taxiways, and aprons to be conducted. Airport operations may be restricted or suspended based on contamination, and cleaning procedures must be completed before resuming movements,” the advisory said.
Monitoring of volcanic ash clouds must be ensured “24×7,” DGCA instructed, using satellite imagery, Volcanic Ash Advisory bulletins and meteorological data.
“Operators are advised to stay updated with evolving Ash Movement Forecasts, which are being released at frequent intervals. You are requested to disseminate this information to all relevant operational departments and ensure strict compliance until further notice,” it added.
