Air traffic over the Arabian Sea and western India faced significant disruption on Monday after ash from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano drifted into busy international air corridors. The volcano, which erupted on Sunday after lying dormant for nearly 10,000 years, sent massive ash clouds high into the atmosphere, prompting aviation authorities to initiate emergency rerouting procedures.
According to Mumbai Air Traffic Control, 28 flights operating from Mumbai or passing through the Mumbai Flight Information Region (FIR) toward Muscat FIR and beyond were rerouted to avoid ash-contaminated airspace. One flight—IndiGo 6E-1433 from Kannur to Abu Dhabi—was forced to divert to Ahmedabad around noon after its original route became unsafe.
Meteorological Watch Offices in Mumbai issued a series of SIGMET alerts through the day, marking out a large polygon-shaped danger zone over the Arabian Sea. The ash was detected at altitudes between 10 km and 15 km, a height where most commercial aircraft typically cruise. The warnings indicated that while part of the ash plume was drifting northeast, another section remained stationary, making routings unpredictable.
Satellite observations showed the ash cloud moving across the Red Sea, entering Muscat FIR, and gradually edging toward Indian airspace. By Monday evening, the plume spread into Pakistan’s skies, with forecasts suggesting it may reach northern India, including Delhi-NCR, by late Monday night or early Tuesday. However, experts said much of it may dissipate before causing ground-level impact.
The DGCA instructed airlines to strictly avoid contaminated altitudes and asked airports potentially receiving ash deposits to inspect runways and suspend operations if needed. Meanwhile, airlines like IndiGo and Akasa stated they are closely monitoring the situation.
IMD chief Mrityunjay Mohapatra confirmed the ash could affect aircraft flying at higher levels but clarified that there is no threat to people on the ground.
