Ethiopia volcano eruption: Ash plume has completely exited India, says IMD

Updates for this live blog have now ended.

Ethiopia volcano ash LIVE: Volcanic activity at northern Ethiopia’s long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano eased on Tuesday, two days after its weekend eruption sent ash plumes across the region, disrupting high-altitude flight corridors and triggering widespread cancellations, reported Reuters.

The India Meteorological Department said in its latest update that as of 10:30 pm, satellite imagery showed that the ash plume from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption has completely exited India.

In its latest update, the India Meteorological Department said that as of 8:30 pm, the volcanic ash plume has exited from most parts of the country, barring a portion over northeastern India.

India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra stated that the ash plume is moving toward China next. It is expected to leave India by 14:00 GMT (7:30 pm local time) on Tuesday.

The IMD had, in an earlier update, said the large ash plume produced by the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia's Afar region had risen to around 45,000 feet.

Several Indian airlines, including Air India and Akasa Air, cancelled their flights on Tuesday due to a disruption in air traffic over ash plumes from the volcano eruption in Ethiopia.

Air India cancelled 13 flights, including some international services, as some of its aircraft that flew through the affected regions underwent checks.

Akasa said it had cancelled scheduled flights with Middle East destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled during the two days.

Delhi's air quality remained grim on Tuesday, staying in the very poor category for the 12th straight day with the city's overall AQI settling at 353 and the capital recording its lowest maximum temperature of the season so far.

The air quality is likely to remain in the very poor category from November 26 to 28. The outlook for the subsequent six days suggests that the air quality may range from severe to very poor, according to the forecast issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.

Meanwhile, concerns persist over Delhi's deteriorating air quality amid fears that ash clouds from volcanic activity in Ethiopia could further worsen pollution levels in the region.

(via PTI)

The India Meteorological Department said that it is expecting that the cloud will clear up from the Indian region by Wednesday.

M Mohapatra, director general, IMD, said that the ash cloud is "moving towards China through east and north east India".

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), ash clouds from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption are likely to clear India's skies by 7:30 pm on Tuesday, marking the expected end of the disturbances reported across parts of the country.

IMD scientist Radheshyam Sharma spoke to news agency ANI and said that the ash cloud from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption will have no special impact in Rajasthan.

"The ash clouds have been detected in the middle and upper tropospheric levels based on satellite observations. If we look at the aviation forecast, a special segment warning has been issued, and its impact has been seen over this particular area in the last 10 to 15 hours," he said.

Sharma added, "The IMD has already issued an already significant segment warning for the areas where these S clouds have crossed... If we talk specifically about Rajasthan, these ash clouds crossed the upper atmosphere of Rajasthan on November 24th. Currently, these ash clouds are crossing over the areas of eastern India. Since the height of these ash clouds is 8 to 15 kilometres, no significant impact of them has been seen on the surface, and these ash clouds are currently moving in an east-north-east direction... In the coming times, also, no special impact of this will be seen in Rajasthan."

The ministry of civil aviation shared an update on the volcanic ash cloud and said that it is ensuring seamless coordination with air traffic control, the India Meteorological Department, several airlines, and international aviation agencies.

"AAI has issued the necessary NOTAM and all affected flights have been kept informed. Operations across India remain smooth, with only a few flights rerouted or descended as a precaution. There is no cause for concern at this moment," the ministry said.

It added that the ministry is closely monitoring the situation and will provide timely updates to ensure the safety of the passengers.

According to the latest information on flightradar24, the volcanic ash cloud is currenly detected over northern India, and is “moving quickly toward China”.

The website said that “the responsability for this ash event is being transferred to VAAC Tokyo. The next advisory will be issued by VAAC Tokyo."

IMD scientists AK Das said that the plumes from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption "skyrocketed 14 km high". He further told news agency ANI, "We expect the ash cloud from it to move completely towards China after 7.30 pm today. We are continuously monitoring the situation."

Amid disruptions in air traffic, Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram airport issued a passenger advisory and said, ""Due to the scheduled airspace closure for Navy Operational Demonstration 2025, flight services at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport shall remain suspended from 1600 hrs to 1815 hrs between 27 November 2025 and 3 December 2025. Passengers are requested to check with their respective airlines for revised flight timings. Thank you for your cooperation."

While the ash cloud from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption has swept over Delhi and other Indian cities, impacting visibility and air traffic, it has not affected the air quality levels in Delhi.

M Mohapatra, IMD's director general, told HT earlier that the ash plume is in the "upper-levels, so we will not see significant impact near the surface".

In his latest remark to news agency ANI, Mohapatra said that since the volcanic ash is being observed only in the upper troposphere, it is affecting flight operations. "It has no impact on air quality and weather. Our estimate is that this volcanic ash will completely move towards China by evening," he added.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia's northeastern region erupted after nearly 12,000 years on Monday. Located in Ethiopia's Afar region about 800 kilometres (500 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, the volcano within Rift Valley is in a zone of intense geological activity where two tectonic plates meet. Narottam Sahoo, Advisor, Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, told ANI news agency that the dormant volcano most likely erupted due to a tectonic activity in the region. "The ash cloud from this volcano has reached northern India. It has caused disruptions for the aviation industry," Sahoo said.

Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said that the ash clouds will not "immediately impact" Delhi's AQI.

"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," he told news agency ANI.

As the ash plume from Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano drifted over Indian cities, including Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat, and is now moving towards eastern India, meteorologists have outlined the expected impact of the ash cloud and laid out safety steps.

IMD DG M. Mohapatra told HT that the impact of the ash cloud on Delhi's air quality was likely to be minimal because the ash was not mixing with surface-level pollution. Residents would mainly notice a hazier sky for a few hours.

The International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN) has said that exposure to volcanic ash can trigger breathing issues, eye discomfort, skin irritation, and indirect problems like reduced visibility.

IVHNN advises limiting driving. Staying indoors is recommended until conditions stabilise.

Homes should be sealed by keeping doors and windows shut. People conducting clean-ups are urged to use proper dust masks. A cloth mask is acceptable when nothing else is available. Those with asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema should avoid exposure.

Read full report here

The ash plumes which have travelled to India after the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia have caused flight disruptions, leading to several international flights being cancelled and delayed.

International flights often cruise at higher altitudes i.e. between 35,000 to 40,000 feet, while domestic ones typically fly between 25,000 to 33,000 feet. In regards to the volcanic ash, its impact is only being seen “in the upper troposphere” in India, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD, told ANI news agency.

Therefore, the ash plumes are affecting flights and leading to some cancellations, mostly for international journeys.

A picture showing the difference between the volcanic ash plume which has travelled from Ethiopia, and a layer of smog was shared by a user on social media.

The volcanic eruption in Ethiopia released ash plumes which slowly moved from Ethiopia towards Yemen and Oman, Director General of Meteorology at the India Meteorological Department Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

Dr Mohapatra further said that the ash cloud then advanced towards the Arabian Sea, and reached the Gujarat-Rajasthan region by Monday evening. “Gradually, by midnight, it moved over Delhi and North India, and is now travelling over Eastern India,” the IMD Director General said. He said the plumes will move towards China next, and are expected to clear India by 7:30 pm.

The ash plumes have already started drifting towards China, thus meaning that the impact of the cloud over Indian cities is expected to be short-lived.

The IMD had earlier said that the height of the ash plumes was more than 10 km above ground, thus making it unlikely to worsen the already severe level pollution in Delhi, and some other parts of North India.

The ash plumes which have entered India are at a height of more than 10 km above the ground, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Therefore, Delhi's pollution level is unlikely to worsen owing to the volcanic ash cloud.

However, due to its height, it has disrupted international flights in the Capital, with several of them being delayed. Air India and Akasa Air have cancelled some flights amid the ash cloud influence.

In the advisory released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, airlines have been asked to immediately report any suspected ash encounter. This includes any ""engine performance anomalies or cabin smoke/odour" due to the volcanic ash over parts of North India.

Meanwhile, operators have been directed to inspect runways, taxiways and aprons to ensure safety if the ash affects flight operations in airports.

As the ash plumes travel over Delhi, several flights from the Indira Gandhi International Airport to international destinations were delayed. These included flights to Hong Kong, Dubai, Jeddah, Helsinki, Kabul and Frankfurt.

Meanwhile, carriers Air India and Akasa Air have cancelled flights international and domestic flights. Air India has cancelled 11 flights, while Akasa Air cancelled flights to and from Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi.