Ethiopia volcano eruption: Air India cancelled at least 11 flights since Monday and checked those planes that had flown over locations that had ash plumes.

Volcanic ash from Ethiopia hit flight operations in India as ash clouds from the Hayli Gubbi volcano - which erupted for the first time in recorded history - entered the Indian subcontinent from the western side and reached Delhi on Monday night before proceeding to other parts.

Among known flight cancellations were that of Air India and Akasa Air which said on Tuesday they were cancelling some flights over ash plumes from the volcano eruption in Ethiopia.

Air India flight cancellation

Air India cancelled at least 11 flights since Monday and was carrying out precautionary checks on those planes that had flown over locations that had ash plumes due to the volcanic activity in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano sent ash plumes up to 14 km high after erupting on Sunday for the first time in recorded history, according to media reports.

On Monday, it had cancelled seven international flights, including AI 106 (Newark-Delhi), AI 102 (New York (JFK)-Delhi) and AI 2204 (Dubai-Hyderabad) and AI 2290 (Doha-Mumbai).

Akasa flight cancellation

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

On Tuesday, the ash had covered parts of Pakistan and northern India after crossing Yemen and Oman, according to Reuters, which cited tracking website Flightradar24.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday morning that the ash clouds were drifting towards China and will move away from India by 7.30 pm.

Forecast models indicated ash influence over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday, the IMD said.

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.

IndiGo, SpiceJet

IndiGo issued an advisory on Monday evening, saying its teams were closely tracking the situation in coordination with international aviation bodies. “We are fully prepared with all necessary precautions to ensure safe and reliable operations,” the advisory read.

There were no known affected IndiGo flights due to the volcanic ash clouds.

“Our 6E teams are available across all touchpoints to support you with any assistance you may need. We will continue to monitor the developments round the clock and keep you informed of any updates to help minimise inconvenience (if any),” IndiGo's advisory stated.

In a similar advisory, SpiceJet on Monday evening said volcanic ash activity reported across parts of the Arabian Peninsula may impact flight operations for aircraft flying through these regions.As safety remains our top priority, our Flight Operations and Safety teams are closely coordinating with aviation authorities and continuously monitoring ash cloud movement. Passengers travelling to/from Dubai (DXB) are advised to keep a check on their flight status via spicejet.com,” the advisory read.