Ethiopian volcano ash heading towards India, flights cancelled

Dense ash cloud is heading towards India due to the recent eruption of Ethiopia’s Haile Gubbi volcano. As a result, several flights including Indian airlines Akasha Air, IndiGo and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have been cancelled on Monday (November 24).
According to NDTV sources, the ash cloud has already entered the skies of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. However, as the ash is located thousands of feet high, the possibility of a serious deterioration in air quality is very low.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said that flight plans and routes will have to be changed and if the presence of ash is suspected, it should be reported immediately. It has also been requested to continuously monitor the ash situation using satellite and meteorological data.
A volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted early Sunday (November 23), completely covering the nearby village of Afdera in ash. According to Afar TV, the eruption caused moderate tremors to be felt around the towns of Erta Ale and Afdera, which are located about nine miles (15 kilometers) southeast of the active Erta Ale volcano.