You know, it's not every day you hear about a volcano that's been silent for 12,000 years suddenly roaring back to life. But that's exactly what happened in Ethiopia. The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region decided Sunday morning was its time to shine, and it kicked things off with an eruption that's now causing a ripple effect all the way over here in India. A massive plume of volcanic ash has made an incredible journey, and it's leading to some serious headaches for travelers and airlines alike.
Key Highlights
- ✓ Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years.
- ✓ A massive ash plume traveled across the Red Sea and reached northern India, including Delhi.
- ✓ Airlines like Akasa Air, IndiGo, and KLM have cancelled multiple international flights.
- ✓ The DGCA has issued a strict safety advisory for all airlines and airports to avoid the ash cloud.
- ✓ Experts believe the ash is too high to significantly impact Delhi's ground-level air pollution.
A Volcano Awakens After Millennia
Let's just take a moment to process that timeline: twelve thousand years. That’s an almost unimaginable period of silence. Located just about nine miles from the already active Erta Ale volcano, Hayli Gubbi’s sudden awakening on Sunday morning wasn't a quiet affair. The eruption was powerful enough to cause moderate tremors in the surrounding areas and completely cover the nearby village of Afdera in a thick layer of dust. It’s a stark reminder of the immense power simmering just beneath the Earth's surface.
The immediate aftermath saw thick ash plumes billowing into the sky, embarking on a journey that would soon disrupt international travel. The initial path of the cloud took it across the Red Sea, drifting ominously toward Yemen and Oman. But it didn't stop there. The ash cloud just kept stretching, extending its reach over the northern Arabian Sea and setting a course directly for the Indian subcontinent. It was a slow-motion invasion from the atmosphere, and by Monday, its effects were beginning to be felt.
The Ash Cloud's Journey to India
By Monday night, the inevitable happened. The dense, concentrated parts of this massive ash cloud began transitioning over northern India. Forecasts had been tracking its path, with IndiaMetSky Weather even posting on X that the cloud would reach the capital in a matter of minutes. Sure enough, around 11 p.m. on Monday, the plume of volcanic ash officially arrived over Delhi. The cloud also spread over neighboring areas, including parts of Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
Naturally, the first question on everyone's mind in Delhi was about the already precarious air quality. Could this make a bad situation even worse? The good news, according to experts, is probably not. The ash is thousands of feet up in the atmosphere, making it a problem for aviation, not necessarily for those of us on the ground. The real drama was unfolding at the airports, where the aviation industry was bracing for significant disruption.
Aviation on High Alert: Cancellations and Chaos
As soon as the ash cloud entered the region, the impact on air travel was immediate. Visuals from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Monday showed a scene of heightened caution, with multiple flight delays posted on the boards. Volcanic ash is incredibly hazardous for aircraft engines, and no airline is willing to take that risk. Major carriers quickly began announcing cancellations as a precautionary measure, prioritizing passenger safety above all else.
Among the first to be affected were international flights. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines cancelled its Amsterdam-Delhi service (flight KL 871) and the return flight (KL 872). Akasa Air followed suit, cancelling its flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi that were scheduled for November 24 and 25. The disruption wasn't limited to Delhi, either. Down south in Kochi, two international departures were called off—IndiGo’s flight 6E1475 to Dubai and Akasa Air’s flight QP550 to Jeddah—due to the ash cloud moving across the region.
DGCA Steps In with a Strict Advisory
With the situation escalating, India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), stepped in with a detailed advisory. They left no room for ambiguity, instructing airlines to strictly avoid any published volcanic ash-affected areas and flight levels. This means flight planners have been scrambling to adjust routes, plan for extra fuel, and stay glued to the latest meteorological data and satellite imagery. The advisory came after the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and the Airports Authority of India had already released their own warnings about the ash spreading through the Muscat Flight Information Region.
The DGCA's instructions were comprehensive. Airlines must immediately report any suspected encounter with the ash, which can manifest as engine performance anomalies or even smoke or strange odors in the cabin. Furthermore, if the ash begins to affect airport operations on the ground, operators have been ordered to inspect runways, taxiways, and aprons immediately. It's a top-to-bottom safety protocol designed to mitigate a very real danger. To make matters more complicated, a Mumbai airport official noted that flights were attempting to re-route via Pakistan airspace, a route that is currently shut for Indian airlines, adding another layer of complexity to an already challenging situation.
Monitoring the Skies and Future Concerns
Airlines are doing their best to keep passengers in the loop. IndiGo took to X to reassure customers, stating, "We understand that such news may cause concern, and we want to reassure you that your safety remains our highest priority." The airline confirmed its teams are closely tracking the situation in coordination with international bodies to ensure safe operations. Meanwhile, Air India reported that its services hadn't faced any significant disruptions so far but, like everyone else, they are continuing to monitor the movement of the ash clouds.
The big question now is, what happens next? While the impact on Monday was somewhat limited, one official familiar with the situation warned that things could get worse on Tuesday. The civil aviation ministry and the DGCA are keeping a close watch on the cloud's movement. The fear is that if the ash begins to settle and descend over major airport hubs like Delhi and Jaipur, Indian aviation could be "severely impacted." It's a waiting game, with the safety of thousands of passengers hanging in the balance, all because a long-slumbering giant in Ethiopia decided to wake up.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. A volcanic eruption thousands of miles away has managed to disrupt travel plans and put aviation authorities on high alert right here in India. The awakening of the Hayli Gubbi volcano after a 12,000-year nap is a powerful story of nature's unpredictability. While the immediate concern over air quality in Delhi seems to be low, the impact on flights is very real, with cancellations and rerouting causing significant disruption. For now, all eyes remain on the sky, as airlines and authorities monitor the drifting ash and hope the situation stabilizes soon.
