'No Cause For Concern at This Moment': Govt on Ethiopia's Volcanic Ash Impact on Flight Operations Across India

New Delhi: India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Tuesday said that "there is no cause for concern at this moment" due to the drifting of volcanic ash from Ethiopia towards northern India.

The ministry also said that flight operations across the country continue to be “smooth" despite the restrictions announced and the situation is continuously being monitored.

In a post on X, the Ministry of Civil Aviation wrote, "Following the 23 Nov volcanic eruption in Ethiopia and the eastward movement of the ash cloud, MoCA—along with ATC, IMD, airlines and international aviation agencies—is ensuring seamless coordination."

"AAI has issued the necessary NOTAM and all affected flights have been kept informed. Operations across India remain smooth, with only a few flights rerouted or descended as a precaution. There is no cause for concern at this moment. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide timely updates to ensure passenger safety," the ministry said in its X post.

Experts noted that ash clouds from Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption have reached parts of India, affecting aviation but not local weather or air quality, as authorities continued to monitor conditions in the upper atmosphere.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said the impact remained limited to higher levels. "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," he said.

He explained that international flights typically operate between 35,000 and 40,000 feet, while domestic services fly between 25,000 and 33,000 feet, adding that the volcanic ash was being observed "in the upper troposphere" over Indian airspace.

In Gujarat, officials highlighted how strong upper-level winds carried the ash over long distances. Narottam Sahoo, Advisor to the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, said, "This silent volcano became active and erupted after 12,000 years due to tectonic activity in Ethiopia. The ash cloud from this volcano has reached northern India. It has caused disruptions for the aviation industry."

The rare eruption occurred on Sunday, when the long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano in northern Ethiopia sent ash plumes up to 14 kilometres high before drifting across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman. This marked the first recorded eruption in the volcano's history.

In response, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory on Monday asking airlines to avoid designated volcanic ash-affected areas and adjust flight planning, routing and fuel requirements based on the latest updates.

Air India cancelled a number of domestic and international flights due to the ash influence, particularly over northern India, and began precautionary checks on aircraft that had flown through affected regions.

The cancellations included AI 106 (Newark-Delhi), AI 102 (New York-Delhi), AI 2204 (Dubai-Hyderabad), AI 2290 (Doha-Mumbai), AI 2212 (Dubai-Chennai), AI 2250 (Dammam-Mumbai) and AI 2284 (Doha-Delhi) for November 24.

On November 25, the airline cancelled AI 2822 (Chennai-Mumbai), AI 2466 (Hyderabad-Delhi), AI 2444/2445 (Mumbai-Hyderabad-Mumbai) and AI 2471/2472 (Mumbai-Kolkata-Mumbai).

Akasa Air also halted all flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi on November 24 and 25 in view of the ash plume's movement.

The scale of the eruption and the resulting disruption were underscored by satellite images that captured the rare awakening of the Hayli Gubbi volcano. The event has drawn wide scientific attention because the volcano had remained inactive for nearly 10,000 years.

According to data from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 mission and updates from the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, the ash cloud travelled across thousands of kilometres. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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