Ash cloud from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano to clear India by 7:30 pm, says IMD
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that the ash cloud drifting from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano is expected to clear Indian airspace by 7:30 pm on November 25, 2025, as it continues moving eastward towards China.
Air traffic in several parts of India was affected on Monday after a major eruption at the Hayli Gubbi shield volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region on November 23 produced a massive ash plume rising nearly 14 km (45,000 ft) into the atmosphere.
According to the IMD, dispersion models showed that volcanic ash was likely to influence weather and aviation conditions over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana through the day.
IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra confirmed that the ash mass is gradually shifting away from India and progressing towards China.
The plume initially travelled east across the Red Sea, Yemen and Oman before entering the Arabian Sea and drifting toward western and northern India under strong upper-level winds, the Met department noted.
The IMD said it has been continuously tracking the movement of the ash cloud using satellite data, updates from Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) and advanced dispersion forecasting models.
Met Watch Offices in Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata issued ICAO-compliant SIGMET alerts for airports, advising pilots and airlines to avoid impacted airspace and affected flight levels identified by VAAC bulletins.
The agency added that ongoing monitoring of ash concentration and meteorological conditions is critical for safe flight operations. Airlines may need to implement rerouting, extended flight durations or holding patterns until conditions stabilise.
(with inputs from agencies)
