Airlines Cancel Flights After Massive Ethiopia Ash Cloud Reaches India

According to a report from Reuters, flight operations of major  Indian airlines were disrupted on Tuesday after a rare volcanic eruption in Ethiopia sent massive ash plumes across several countries.

Air India announced that it had cancelled 11 flights on Monday and Tuesday. The airline said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure after India’s aviation regulator advised carriers to check aircraft that may have flown over affected regions following the eruption.

Akasa Air, one of India’s youngest airlines, also cancelled several international flights. Routes to Middle East destinations, including Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi, were suspended for two days due to the drifting ash cloud.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the ash plume was moving towards China and that Indian airspace was expected to clear by 1400 GMT on Tuesday.

The disruption follows the historic eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano, which sent ash as high as 14 km (8.7 miles) into the atmosphere on Sunday, the first recorded eruption of the volcano.

By Tuesday, the ash cloud had travelled across Yemen and Oman, spreading over parts of Pakistan and northern India, according to tracking data from Flightradar24.

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Because of this, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory telling airlines to avoid all areas with volcanic ash and to change their flight routes. Airlines have also been asked to update their flight plans and carry extra fuel based on the latest information.