Ethiopia’s Hailey Gubbi volcano explodes in the first eruption in 12,000 years, catapulting an ash cloud over the entire continent; India stops air travel as clouds are heading extremely fast towards China.
Rift Valley eruption tremors are unprecedented
The current world is witnessing a colossal atmospheric process that started in the Ethiopian Hailey Gubbi volcano, which is a geological formation that was previously believed to have been inactive throughout the Holocene period, some 10,000 to 12,000 years of geologic time. The explosive eruption that originated in the distant Afar region on Sunday, November 23, 2025, is a spectacular rebirth of the shield volcano situated along the seismically active East African Rift Valley.
This was a sudden, strong explosion that released a giant column of ash and gaseous material (primarily sulfur dioxide, SO2, and fine volcanic dust, including silica, glass, and rock fragments) extending very high up into the upper troposphere and low in the lower stratosphere. The eruption was so powerful that, according to eyewitness reports from the neighboring village of Afdera, the first blast was more like a sudden bomb. Although reports through the Afar government communications bureau, no human casualties or livestock losses have been reported, the surrounding terrain, such as Afdera, was covered in ash, posing a serious challenge to the livelihood of the local herders and tourists trapped in the Danakil Desert.
Ash cloud sets out on transcontinentals
The giant volcanic plume, with strong and high-level jet stream winds, started moving at a very high rate towards the eastern direction over an extensive area of the globe. The ash cloud made its way high above the sea, initially, the airspace of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, and Oman. It then flew across the Arabian Sea and later into the South Asian airspace, with the main parts of Pakistan and India being covered.
The rapid velocity and magnitude of such atmospheric transport demanded urgent international cooperation. The Fine abrasive particles, which become a major hazard to aircraft engines and the safety of air travel, are constantly monitored by international organizations such as the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), which issues updated advisory reports.
There is a critical disruption to Indian airspace
The onset of volcano ash clouds on Monday, November 24, and Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in the Indian subcontinent had an adverse impact on domestic and international air traffic. The Indian aviation authority, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), issued an emergency operational advisory, advising all Indian airlines to avoid all areas exposed to ash and flight altitudes.
Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) warnings in major cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, and Kolkata were issued by the respective Meteorological monitoring offices immediately, using the ICAO standard. Major airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, and Aqasa Air, among other airlines, had to create vast flight paths and canceled many of the services, such as 13 flights of one airline and many international flights (e.g., to Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi).
The interference occurred in areas such as Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, which, according to the forecast models, will be hit most by the high-altitude plume. Another move that airlines have taken is to carry out precautionary checks of their aircraft flying over possibly affected regions.
IMD validates minimal ground impact and ash trajectory
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) was instrumental in monitoring the plume and assuaging community concerns. IMD Director General Mrityunjay Mohapatra assured that the ash plume was limited to the upper troposphere- the high-level air masses of 1015 km above the surface. This was a very critical altitude position such that, even though there was haze in the atmosphere and visibility was reduced at high altitude, the particles of ash were not falling to the surface in high concentration.
Consequently, the IMD did not see any significant influence on the weather conditions at the surface or on the already high Air Quality Index (AQI) in the region with the most severe contamination, such as Delhi-NCR. The surface effects were deemed to be negligible, although constant observation was maintained on the potential level of sulphur dioxide (SO2), which may affect the hilly areas of the Himalayas and the adjacent Tarai Belt as the plume continued to travel towards the eastern side.
Last ash plume eastward movement
The most recent meteorological information (as of Tuesday, November 25, 2025, afternoon) confirmed that the main part of the volcanic ash cloud was traveling at a high rate towards the east. The India Meteorological Department declared.
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