Seven international flights scheduled to operate between 1 am and 6 pm on Tuesday were cancelled after volcanic ash affected airspace conditions, as per sources.

Twelve other international flights during the same timeframe were also delayed as airlines modified operations in response to the ash-related disruption.

Both incoming and outgoing services were impacted, with carriers adjusting movements based on prevailing safety assessments.

Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha weighed in on the arrival of ash clouds from the massive Hayli Gubbi Volcano in Ethiopia, confirming the visible presence of the fallout over India, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Jha, however, offered reassurance by stating that the clouds, despite their composition of sulfur dioxide and glass particles, are unlikely to "immediately impact" Delhi's AQI because they are lingering in the "very upper atmosphere." 

He said, "The eruption of Ethopia's volcano is enormous, and if you see it in the last 24 hours, whether we talk about Gujarat, Rajasthan or even in the last 12 hours, we can even see the ashes floating around Delhi. The overall impact of the eruption will be in the form of ash clouds and will not immediately affect the AQI in Delhi. The clouds are made of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and glass particles. Though it will not immediately affect the AQI, we need to monitor it, as the clouds are in the very upper atmosphere.

"The impact of these clouds might be seen in the Himalayas, the Tarai region (a lowland region of flat, alluvial soil that forms a belt along the Nepal-India border) and even parts of China," he added.

A picture taken from a aircraft showing the difference between Volcanic Ash plume that lingers, moving and fading away from Indian region and Layer of Smog at the surface.
📸:@yash3101 pic.twitter.com/ArHNGL3cN2

— IndiaMetSky Weather (@indiametsky) November 25, 2025

Volcanic ash is not like ordinary dust. It's made of pulverised rock and glass, often coated with acidic compounds and mixed with gases like sulphur dioxide. Experts warn that inhaling fine ash or vog (volcanic smog) can irritate the lungs, worsen asthma or bronchitis, and trigger other breathing problems. 

Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted for the first time in nearly 10,000 years, prompting India to issue aviation alerts as ash clouds drifted across several northern states. Major carriers, including IndiGo and Akasa Air, adjusted their operations in response to the shifting plume as the impact on airspace became clearer.

Authorities instructed airports to maintain heightened readiness as the ash cloud, travelling rapidly at high altitudes, entered Gujarat before moving over Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. At Delhi airport, several international flights bound for destinations such as Hong Kong, Dubai, Jeddah, Helsinki, Kabul and Frankfurt were delayed, reflecting the wider operational disruption.

The precautionary alert over the volcanic ash cloud from Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano has been lifted. The latest analysis confirms the ash plume, which had previously caused flight disruptions, has safely moved away from Northern India and is dispersing into the upper atmosphere over China and the Pacific.

Update07: FINAL UPDATE
(ASH CLOUD FROM HAYLI GUBBI VOLCANO HAS SAFELY MOVED AWAY & DISPERSED INTO UPPER ATMOSPHERE)
The latest analysis suggest that Ash plum has moved away from Northern India into China and it will transit into upper atmosphere and finer dust will liner in… https://t.co/1nYPpyuoyK pic.twitter.com/dPMg21uqhU

— IndiaMetSky Weather (@indiametsky) November 25, 2025

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in the Afar region about 800 km northeast of Addis Ababa, remained quiet for nearly 12,000 years. It erupted for several hours and blanketed the neighbouring village of Afdera in ash.

Experts described the occurrence as highly unusual, saying how "understudied" the region's volcanic activity was.

Arianna Soldati, a volcanologist at North Carolina State University, told Scientific American Magazine, "So long as there are still the conditions for magma to form, a volcano can still have an eruption even if it hasn't had one in 1,000 years, 10,000 years."

The volcano in Ethiopia's Afar region erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years and spewed clouds of toxic gases, gravel, and fine ash, which satellites tracked across the Red Sea region and the Arabian Peninsula, and over Pakistan, before crossing over into Indian skies.

Ahmed Abdela, a resident of the Afar region, said he heard a loud sound and what he described as a shock wave after the volcano erupted.

"It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash," Abdela said.

The Afdera village was still covered in ash on Monday, and tourists and guides heading to the nearby Danakil desert were stranded in the village, according to Abdela.

🚨 Ethiopia:
🌋The eruption of the Afar volcano in #Ethiopia continues with great intensity, and its effects from the dust and smoke have reached neighbouring countries such as Yemen.#Hayli_Gubbi #Volcano pic.twitter.com/oy0CwPN2o7 https://t.co/mUwXv13s3W

— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) November 25, 2025

Ash clouds from volcanic activity in Ethiopia are drifting towards China and will move away from India by 7:30 pm on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department said. Ash plumes from the recent eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia impacted flight operations in India on Monday.

Forecast models indicated ash influence over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the ash clouds are drifting towards China and will move away from Indian skies by 7:30 pm.

Several Air India flights, including services to Chennai and Mumbai, have been cancelled as a precautionary measure following the eruption of an Ethiopian volcano.

#ImportantAdvisory
The following Air India flights have been cancelled as we carry out precautionary checks on those aircraft which had flown over certain geographical locations after the Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption.
Our ground teams across the network are keeping passengers…

— Air India (@airindia) November 25, 2025

Akasa Air cancelled its international flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi for November 24 and 25, after a massive volcanic ash plume from recent activity in Ethiopia spread across key flight corridors linking India and the Gulf.

The airline said the ash, generated by the eruption, created unsafe flying conditions across affected routes. "Following recent volcanic activity in Ethiopia and the resulting ash plume in the surrounding airspace, our flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled for 24th and 25th November 2025 have been cancelled," an Akasa Air spokesperson said. 

Passengers were offered either a full refund or complimentary rebooking within seven days.

The ash plume from the volcanic activity in Ethiopia mostly consists of sulphur dioxide with low to moderate concentrations of volcanic ash. It will not impact AQI levels but it will impact So2 level in Nepal, Himalayas and adjoining Terai belt of Uttar Pradesh.

Update06:
The Ash plume mostly consists of Sulphur Dioxide with low to moderate concentrations of Volcanic Ash. Its now stretching from Oman-Arabian sea region into Plains of North & Central India. Its will not impact AQI levels but it will impact So2 level at #Hills of #Nepal,… https://t.co/f95r95mLMi pic.twitter.com/WQOOhKmyHM

— IndiaMetSky Weather (@indiametsky) November 24, 2025

Several flights were cancelled, and Indian airlines and airports were issued an advisory to deal with possible disruptions due to an ash plume from the volcanic activity in Ethiopia on Monday. The ash cloud is now moving over northern India.