A windborne cloud of ash from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia has crossed swathes of Northwest India last night, crossing Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR and Punjab. This has hampered visibility and disrupted air traffic as it headed eastwards across the subcontinent. Ash clouds from the recent eruption of the HayliGubbi volcano in Ethiopia are impacting flight operations. Aviation regulator DGCA has issued an advisory yesterday to airlines and airports to deal with possible disruptions due to the ash plumes from this volcanic activity. Akasa Air, IndiGo and KLM are among the airlines that cancelled some flights due to the ash plumes.
Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia erupted for the first time in nearly 10,000 years on Sunday, sending a massive ash plume across the Red Sea toward Oman and Yemen before drifting further east. Authorities are continuing to monitor the cloud’s movement.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the altitude of the cloud-above 10 km, meant that air pollution levels in an already struggling Delhi would not be significantly affected. IMD added the impact over cities in India was likely limited to a few hours, with the plume rapidly moving eastwards.
