A massive plume of volcanic ash from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted for the first time in almost 12,000 years, swept across northwestern and northern India on Monday night, dramatically darkening the evening sky and triggering widespread disruption to air traffic.
The enormous cloud, propelled by strong upper-level winds at speeds of 100–120 kilometres per hour and travelling at altitudes between 10 and 15 kilometres, first entered Indian airspace over Rajasthan around 6:30 pm before rapidly spreading across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR, and Punjab and continuing eastward across the subcontinent.
As the ash cloud moved in, visibility dropped sharply in several cities, forcing airlines into immediate action. IndiGo cancelled at least six domestic and international flights, while Akasa Air suspended all services to Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi on November 24 and 25. Numerous other flights were diverted to alternate airports as the evening progressed.
In response, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued an urgent ASHTAM – the international volcanic ash advisory for aviation – instructing all carriers to strictly avoid the affected altitude bands and adhere to established volcanic ash safety protocols.
The sudden closure of higher airspace corridors left international airlines with little choice but to reroute flights through Pakistani airspace, a option unavailable to Indian carriers because of longstanding bilateral restrictions. This limitation amplified cancellations and delays for India-based airlines, turning Monday night into a chaotic period at many major airports.
The Indian Meteorological Department sought to calm public concern by stating that, because the plume was confined to the upper atmosphere, significant surface-level pollution was unlikely. IMD Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra explained that only hazy skies and a slight increase in minimum temperatures were expected in the coming days.
However, some environmental experts cautioned that even a minor descent of fine ash particles could temporarily push the already precarious air quality in the National Capital Region into the “severe” category. At 4 pm on Monday, before the ash arrived, Delhi’s Air Quality Index had already reached 382 (classified as “very poor”), with neighbouring Ghaziabad recording 396 and Noida 397.
The volcanic cloud itself consists of fine ash, sulphur dioxide, and tiny shards of rock and volcanic glass – materials that not only darken the sky but also pose a serious threat to aircraft engines if ingested. In anticipation of possible ashfall, the DGCA directed all major airports to remain on high alert and conduct immediate inspections of runways, taxiways, and aprons at the first sign of deposition, with instructions to suspend operations entirely if contamination is confirmed.
The source of this extraordinary event is the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s remote Afar region, which exploded into activity on Sunday, hurling ash as high as 14 kilometres into the stratosphere. Although the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre reported that the eruption itself has now ceased, the gigantic plume it generated continues its long journey across the Indian Ocean and into South Asian skies, reminding millions of people just how far the effects of a single volcanic event can reach.
Also Read: Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi erupts after 10,000 years
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