A vast plume of volcanic ash from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi eruption swept across the Arabian Sea on 24–25 November, forcing Indian regulators and airlines into crisis mode. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an urgent advisory late on 24 November instructing carriers to “strictly avoid” ash-contaminated airspace, revise fuel planning and monitor SIGMET bulletins every 30 minutes.
By dawn on 25 November the impact was visible in schedules. Air India grounded several wide-body jets for engine borescope inspections and cancelled or delayed long-haul services from New York, Newark, Dubai, Doha and Dammam. Low-cost rivals IndiGo and Akasa Air diverted a Kannur–Abu Dhabi sector to Ahmedabad and suspended all India-Gulf flights for 24 hours, offering full refunds or re-accommodation.
![Ethiopian volcanic ash grounds flights and triggers DGCA safety order across India]()
Airports from Jamnagar to Delhi activated runway inspection teams in case of ash deposition while the India Meteorological Department tracked the cloud at 15,000-45,000 ft, predicting clearance from Indian skies by 19:30 IST on Tuesday. The warning followed earlier incidents—such as the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull crisis—showing that volcanic ash can melt inside jet engines and sand-blast cockpit windows, posing severe safety risks.
For corporate travel managers the disruption is a reminder to build volcanic-ash clauses into service-level agreements and to subscribe to NOTAM alerts covering African as well as Middle-Eastern FIRs, because west-to-east upper-air flows can reach India within 24 hours. Companies with time-critical cargo or short-notice assignee moves to the Gulf should prepare contingency routings via Colombo, Muscat or Bangkok while the DGCA retains its ash-avoidance advisories.
Looking ahead, regulators are expected to review India’s Volcanic Ash Contingency Plan (VACP) and may propose mandatory engine inspections after confirmed ash encounters, a step that could lengthen turnaround times for international operators during future eruptions.
By dawn on 25 November the impact was visible in schedules. Air India grounded several wide-body jets for engine borescope inspections and cancelled or delayed long-haul services from New York, Newark, Dubai, Doha and Dammam. Low-cost rivals IndiGo and Akasa Air diverted a Kannur–Abu Dhabi sector to Ahmedabad and suspended all India-Gulf flights for 24 hours, offering full refunds or re-accommodation.
Airports from Jamnagar to Delhi activated runway inspection teams in case of ash deposition while the India Meteorological Department tracked the cloud at 15,000-45,000 ft, predicting clearance from Indian skies by 19:30 IST on Tuesday. The warning followed earlier incidents—such as the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull crisis—showing that volcanic ash can melt inside jet engines and sand-blast cockpit windows, posing severe safety risks.
For corporate travel managers the disruption is a reminder to build volcanic-ash clauses into service-level agreements and to subscribe to NOTAM alerts covering African as well as Middle-Eastern FIRs, because west-to-east upper-air flows can reach India within 24 hours. Companies with time-critical cargo or short-notice assignee moves to the Gulf should prepare contingency routings via Colombo, Muscat or Bangkok while the DGCA retains its ash-avoidance advisories.
Looking ahead, regulators are expected to review India’s Volcanic Ash Contingency Plan (VACP) and may propose mandatory engine inspections after confirmed ash encounters, a step that could lengthen turnaround times for international operators during future eruptions.
