From Afar To Afar: Ethiopia’s Eruption Disrupts Travel Across Continents

A remote volcano in Ethiopia has suddenly woken up after thousands of years of silence and, surprisingly, it is travellers in places as far away as India and the Middle East who are feeling the effects.

Hayli Gubbi, a shield volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region, began erupting on 23 November. It sits in one of the hottest and most geologically active parts of the planet, but it has shown no sign of life in about twelve thousand years.

That long rest came to an end with a dramatic plume of ash that shot around fourteen kilometres into the sky.

Local communities in Afdera found themselves dealing with falling ash, which settled on grazing land and seeped into water sources. For people living there the eruption is a significant challenge, but the impact has reached far beyond northern Ethiopia.

Volcanic ash and aircraft are never a good mix. Ash can melt inside jet engines and scratch windscreens and sensors, so airlines and aviation authorities take no chances when a cloud enters common flight paths.

As the Hayli Gubbi plume rose into the upper atmosphere, winds carried it across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman. From there it continued east over the Arabian Sea and brushed parts of northern and southern India. Once the ash drifted into these busy air corridors, disruption followed quickly.

Air India cancelled eleven flights to allow engineers to assess aircraft that had flown near the affected area. Akasa Air halted or diverted several services to Gulf cities including Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. Other airlines altered routings to avoid the plume, which meant longer flight times and some delays.

India’s aviation regulator issued advisories as the ash passed over Delhi, Punjab and parts of the south, urging airlines to monitor the situation and adjust their routes. The ash is high in the atmosphere rather than at ground level, but even there it causes visibility and engine safety concerns.

Although the worst of the disruption is expected to ease as the ash thins out, airlines are still watching the situation closely and rerouting when needed.

Travellers heading through affected regions should keep an eye on airline alerts and airport updates. Most disruptions so far have been precautionary, but routings may continue to change until the plume disperses completely.

Scientists are keeping a close watch on Hayli Gubbi to understand whether this burst of activity is the end of the story or the start of something longer. The Afar region sits on a major tectonic rift, so surprises are not uncommon, although an eruption from this volcano was not expected.

For now the focus is on supporting local communities in Ethiopia and helping airlines navigate around the ash. It is a striking example of how a remote corner of the Horn of Africa can suddenly become a talking point for travellers thousands of kilometres away.