Ethiopian volcanic ash forces major flight cancellations in India

Thousands of travel plans by passengers across India have gone awry after the eruption of Ethiopia’s long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano. A vast cloud of abrasive volcanic ash that wafted over the Arabian Sea to reach India's skies has led to widespread flight cancellations and advisories by the DGCA.

Sky chaos: Cloud from Ethiopian volcanic ash affects flights in India

The ash plume, comprising fine particles of glass and rock, which seriously endanger aircraft engines, reached Delhi late Tuesday night and spread over Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana. Although the India Meteorological Department forecasts the cloud will clear India by 7.30 pm local time today, airlines have already grounded services as a precaution.

As a result, Air India has been severely hit and so far cancelled at least 11 flights to and from India on Monday and Tuesday. This includes major international flights like AI 106 (Newark-Delhi) and AI 102 (New York-Delhi), as well as domestic services like AI 2822 (Chennai-Mumbai) and AI 2466 (Hyderabad-Delhi). The flag carrier is also conducting precautionary checks on the aircraft that flew through the affected regions.

Low-cost carrier Akasa Air, too, announced the cancellation of all its flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi on November 24 and 25 in light of the ash influence in key air corridors to the Middle East.

Reports suggest that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines cancelled its Amsterdam-Delhi and the corresponding return Delhi-Amsterdam service. IndiGo, too, had to divert at least one international flight for safety — its Kannur-Abu Dhabi service — to Ahmedabad.

The DGCA has issued a strict advisory for all airlines to avoid affected flight levels and regions, citing the paramount importance of passenger and crew safety. Passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with their airline before proceeding to the airport.

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