After nearly 12,000 years of silence, Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on November 23, sending a towering ash plume up to 14 km into the sky. The eruption occurred in the remote Afar region, a geologically active area along the East African Rift, startling local communities and tourists in the desert.
Villagers near Afdera described a deep rumbling sound, followed by ashfall covering grazing lands, homes, and roads. Herders are concerned about their livestock as vegetation is blanketed in ash, while tourists had to be evacuated from affected areas.
The ash cloud has drifted over the Red Sea, reaching Yemen and Oman, and moved toward northern India, even New Delhi and Pakistan. The plume carries sulfur dioxide and fine volcanic particles that can be hazardous to aircraft engines, prompting international flight adjustments.
In India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is closely monitoring the ash plume. Officials said there is no current cause for concern for flight operations. Flight safety agencies, including the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), are coordinating with international partners, issuing advisories and NOTAMs. Most operations remain normal, with only limited precautionary rerouting or altitude adjustments. The ash plume, moving above 10 km, is expected to drift toward China, reducing impact on India’s surface weather and air quality. A few flights have been delayed or cancelled, but disruptions remain limited.
Several airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, and KLM, confirmed monitoring and safety adjustments. Experts say the eruption, while rare, aligns with the region’s tectonic activity. Signs such as ground uplift and unusual summit clouds had been observed days before the eruption. Scientists are now analyzing ash samples to better understand why this long-dormant volcano became active.
For communities in Ethiopia, the eruption has been a sudden reminder of nature’s power. Globally, the ash plume has highlighted how volcanic events, even in remote areas, can ripple across continents, affecting air travel and safety.
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