VOI World/ Admin
A massive plume of volcanic ash from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano — which erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years — drifted over parts of India this week, affecting aviation but leaving air quality largely unchanged, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The ash cloud travelled thousands of kilometres across West Asia before reaching Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and parts of the Northeast on Monday night and Tuesday morning. The plume’s unusual path, driven by strong upper-air winds of 100 to 150 kmph, kept the particles at altitudes between 8 km and 15 km, preventing any substantial impact on ground-level pollution.
While Delhi’s AQI saw no major rise, aviation bore the brunt. Several flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted as air traffic controllers and airlines responded to shifting ash concentrations. Seven flights were cancelled on Monday and four on Tuesday across affected routes. Authorities issued advisories to pilots to avoid specific air corridors where ash density was higher and visibility was uncertain.
Officials said ash particles at such altitudes disperse quickly and do not typically settle on the surface unless winds push them lower. The plume continued eastward toward China after skimming over India.
The IMD noted that this rare long-range transport event highlighted how major eruptions can influence flight operations worldwide despite having limited impact on local air quality.
