New Delhi, 25 Nov

At least 7 international flights were cancelled and more than 10 overseas flights delayed at the Delhi airport on Tuesday as ash plumes from the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia impacted airlines' operations.

Air India has cancelled 13 flights since Monday.

Ash clouds from the recent eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia are impacting flight operations, and there are reports suggesting that clouds are drifting towards the western parts of India.

An official said 7 international flights, including arrivals and departures, were cancelled and 12 international flights were delayed at the Delhi airport due to the impact of the volcanic ash plumes.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital is the country's largest airport, handling over 1,500 flight movements daily.

There was no immediate update about the situation on Tuesday from other Indian carriers.

On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked airlines to strictly avoid published volcanic ash affected areas and flight levels, adjust flight planning, routing, and fuel considerations based on the latest advisories.

The plume, which moved across northwest India on Monday and briefly disrupted flights, has since begun shifting towards China.

The ash mass had initially entered Gujarat on Monday before spreading overnight across regions including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Punjab.

The eruption originated from Hayli Gubbi, a shield volcano in Ethiopia's Afar region, which produced its first major activity in nearly 10,000 years and sent ash rising as high as 14 km.

The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) reported that the explosive phase began around 8:30 am GMT, generating "a large ash plume moving toward northern India" even after the eruption eased.

Ash columns from the Afar region, approximately 800 km northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, were carried across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman by strong upper-level winds, eventually drifting over the Arabian Sea into western and northern India.

The IMD noted that the plume travelled along high-altitude wind currents that transported it "from Ethiopia across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman and further over the Arabian Sea towards western and northern India," with satellite tools, VAAC bulletins and dispersion modelling aiding its monitoring.

A layer of haze settled over Delhi as the plume passed, pushing air quality into the very poor band and raising concerns among residents and authorities.

IMD's Met Watch Offices in Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata issued ICAO-standard SIGMET warnings, advising airports to avoid specific airspace segments and flight levels flagged by VAAC.

As the ash cloud advanced, flight operations across multiple regions experienced strain, prompting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to circulate a detailed advisory on Monday.

Airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa Air and KLM revised their schedules while officials continued keeping track of the plume's progression.