An unexpected eruption of Ethiopia’s long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano on 23 November is rippling across Indian aviation days later, as a high-altitude ash plume drifted over Gujarat and Rajasthan, forcing multiple carriers to cancel or reroute services on 24–26 November. Air India scrapped 11 west-bound flights, IndiGo diverted Mumbai-Dubai and Delhi-Doha rotations, and Akasa Air cancelled all Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi sectors for two days.
On 25 November the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) published an ASHTAM and Volcanic Ash Advisory mandating strict avoidance of affected airways, post-flight engine borescope inspections and runway surface checks at Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The Civil Aviation Ministry later said operations were “smooth”, but admitted schedules could remain fluid until the plume exits Indian FIRs—expected late 26 November, according to the India Meteorological Department.
![Volcanic Ash from Ethiopia Grounds Dozens of India-Gulf Flights; DGCA Issues Safety Directives]()
The disruption provides a real-time test of India’s revamped contingency manual, updated after the 2010 Icelandic ash crisis but never activated at this scale. For corporate travel and mobility planners the key take-aways are:
• Build volcanic-ash clauses into travel policies covering force-majeure delays.
• Ensure travellers have contingency accommodation and medical cover for unscheduled stopovers in Gulf hubs.
• Expect cascading crew-rotation challenges that could squeeze seat availability on India–Middle East routes critical for project logistics and expatriate shuttles.
While Ethiopian aviation remained largely unaffected, India’s experience underscores how distant natural events can paralyse heavily trafficked corridors. Airlines have reopened bookings from 27 November, but warn that further cancellations are possible if ash concentrations rise again.
The DGCA says it will review data from engine inspections and satellite ash-cloud models to refine its response protocol—valuable knowledge as climate volatility increases the frequency of disruptive geophysical events.
On 25 November the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) published an ASHTAM and Volcanic Ash Advisory mandating strict avoidance of affected airways, post-flight engine borescope inspections and runway surface checks at Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The Civil Aviation Ministry later said operations were “smooth”, but admitted schedules could remain fluid until the plume exits Indian FIRs—expected late 26 November, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The disruption provides a real-time test of India’s revamped contingency manual, updated after the 2010 Icelandic ash crisis but never activated at this scale. For corporate travel and mobility planners the key take-aways are:
• Build volcanic-ash clauses into travel policies covering force-majeure delays.
• Ensure travellers have contingency accommodation and medical cover for unscheduled stopovers in Gulf hubs.
• Expect cascading crew-rotation challenges that could squeeze seat availability on India–Middle East routes critical for project logistics and expatriate shuttles.
While Ethiopian aviation remained largely unaffected, India’s experience underscores how distant natural events can paralyse heavily trafficked corridors. Airlines have reopened bookings from 27 November, but warn that further cancellations are possible if ash concentrations rise again.
The DGCA says it will review data from engine inspections and satellite ash-cloud models to refine its response protocol—valuable knowledge as climate volatility increases the frequency of disruptive geophysical events.
