The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia ’s Afar region erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending massive ash plumes across the Red Sea toward Yemen and Oman. The cloud has now moved over the northern Arabian Sea.
The nearby village of Afdera was covered in ash, while moderate tremors were reported around Erta Ale and Afdera town. The volcano is situated about 15 km southeast of the active Erta Ale volcano.
India Met Sky Weather confirmed that the ash plume — which earlier disrupted flight operations in India — has drifted away from northern India and is now dispersing into the upper atmosphere over China and the Pacific.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), ash clouds from the eruption drifted toward China and were expected to clear Indian skies by 7:30 pm on Tuesday. Forecast models indicated ash influence over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, prompting aviation advisories.
At least 11 Flights cancelled due to Ash of Ethiopia Volcano Eruption
Air India announced the cancellation of four flights on Tuesday due to operational disruptions. The affected services include AI 2822 (Chennai–Mumbai), AI 2466 (Hyderabad–Delhi), AI 2444/2445 (Mumbai–Hyderabad–Mumbai) and AI 2471/2472 (Mumbai–Kolkata–Mumbai), according to reports by PTI.
A day earlier, the airline had cancelled seven international flights, including AI 106 (Newark–Delhi), AI 102 (New York JFK–Delhi), AI 2204 (Dubai–Hyderabad) and AI 2290 (Doha–Mumbai).
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the plume was rapidly moving eastward, reducing its impact over India.
Residents in Ethiopia described the eruption as explosive. Ahmed Abdela, from the Afar region, said he heard a loud blast followed by what felt like a shock wave. “It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash,” he said.
Ash continued to blanket Afdera village on Monday, leaving tourists and guides en route to the Danakil desert stranded.
The eruption spewed toxic gases, gravel and fine ash, tracked by satellites across the Red Sea, Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan before it entered Indian airspace.
Experts called the event highly unusual due to the region’s limited historical data on volcanic activity. Arianna Soldati, volcanologist at North Carolina State University, told Scientific American that long dormancy does not rule out eruptions: “If conditions for magma remain, a volcano can erupt even after 1,000 or 10,000 years.”
India issued aviation alerts as ash drifted over several northern states. Airlines such as IndiGo and Akasa Air adjusted operations as the plume’s movement became clearer. Delhi airport saw delays for international flights to Hong Kong, Dubai, Jeddah, Helsinki, Kabul and Frankfurt, reflecting the widespread disruptions.