Ethiopia volcano hurls ash towards Delhi; Air India, Akasa flights cancelled – will AQI take a hit? IMD clarifies

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, in Ethiopia’s northeastern region, erupted for the first time in 10,000 years, spewing ashes towards Delhi and other parts of India, leading to disruptions in flight operations. Seven international flights scheduled to operate between 1 AM and 6 PM on Tuesday, 25 November, were cancelled due to volcanic ash affecting airspace conditions, according to reports.

The ash mass from the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia spread across large parts of northwest India on Monday night, sweeping over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR and Punjab.

What is the impact of the volcanic eruption?

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the IMD, said the impact of the ashes spewed by the volcano is being observed only in the upper troposphere and will move completely towards China by evening.

Track all LIVE updates from Ethiopia volcanic eruption here

“The impact of this volcanic ash is being seen only in the upper troposphere, and it is affecting the flight operations. It has no impact on air quality and weather. Our estimate is that this volcanic ash will completely move towards China by evening,” Mohapatra told ANI.

Which flights have been cancelled, affected?

Seven international flights scheduled to operate on Tuesday were cancelled, and 12 other international flights during the same time were also delayed as airlines modified operations in response to the ash-related disruption.

Air India cancelled the following flights scheduled for Tuesday, 25 November:

• AI 2822 – Chennai–Mumbai
• AI 2466 – Hyderabad–Delhi
• AI 2444 / 2445 – Mumbai–Hyderabad–Mumbai
• AI 2471 / 2472 – Mumbai–Kolkata–Mumbai

Akasa said it had cancelled scheduled flights with Middle East destinations, such as Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

Will the ash affect air quality?

IMD's Director General of Meteorology said that the impact of the volcanic ash is limited to flight operations and will have no effect on air quality or weather.

Ethiopia volcano eruption map

Hayli Gubbi is a shield volcano in Ethiopia's Afar region. The eruption produced its first major activity in nearly 10,000 years, sending ash rising as high as 14 km.

Why did the volcano erupt suddenly?

The silent volcano – Hayli Gubbi became active and erupted after nearly 10,000 years due to tectonic activity in Ethiopia, Narottam Sahoo, Advisor to the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, told news wire ANI.

Ash columns from the Afar region, approximately 800 km northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, were carried across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman by strong upper-level winds, eventually drifting over the Arabian Sea into western and northern India.