Ethiopian volcano erupts for first time in 12,000 years, ash enters Delhi amid toxic air
Afar Region, Ethiopia/London-UK, November 26, 2025
GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC ANOMALY: Hayli Gubbi Volcano Awakens, Ash Plumes Drift 5,000km to India, Triggering Aviation Chaos
In a truly stunning geological event, an Ethiopian volcano erupts for the first time in 12,000 years, unleashing a massive ash plume that traversed the Arabian Sea and dramatically entered the skies over Delhi, India, colliding with the capital’s already toxic air crisis.
The extraordinary awakening of the Hayli Gubbi volcano on Sunday sent shockwaves across the scientific community, but its immediate impact was felt most acutely in the aviation sector, where airlines were forced to cancel and divert flights to avoid the invisible, airborne hazard.
The rapid 5,000-kilometre journey of the ash plume is a stark reminder of the planet’s interconnected atmosphere and the profound, unforeseen consequences of natural events, regardless of where they originate.
The volcano in question, Hayli Gubbi, is a massive shield volcano located in Ethiopia’s remote Afar region, part of the geologically intense East African Rift Valley where the African and Arabian tectonic plates are slowly tearing apart.
Geological records confirm the volcano had been dormant throughout the entire Holocene epoch, with no confirmed eruptions in over twelve millennia, making its sudden, violent explosion early Sunday morning both rare and scientifically invaluable.
Eyewitnesses in nearby villages likened the initial burst to a “bomb of smoke and ash,” as the plume shot an astonishing 14 to 15 kilometres high, penetrating the tropopause and reaching altitudes where the powerful jet stream operates.
It was this high-altitude propulsion that allowed the volcanic detritus—a highly corrosive mix of fine glass particles, rock fragments, and sulphur dioxide gas—to begin its rapid eastward journey.
Propelled by strong, stable winds at speeds nearing 130 km/h, the plume swept across the Red Sea, passing over Yemen and Oman, before entering Indian airspace late on Monday.
The cloud’s arrival over Gujarat and Rajasthan, and subsequently Delhi-NCR, triggered an immediate state of alert among aviation authorities.
The primary concern was not ground-level pollution, but aviation safety. Volcanic ash is a severe hazard to jet engines;
the fine silicate particles can melt in the high-temperature combustion chambers, forming a glassy coating that causes engine failure.
Consequently, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India issued a detailed advisory, leading to widespread disruptions.
Airlines like IndiGo and Air India cancelled or delayed multiple flights on routes to the Middle East and Europe, while other carriers were forced into lengthy diversions to avoid the dangerous plume traveling at altitudes between 25,000 and 45,000 feet.
While the plume was high above ground, its passage over northern India raised fears of compounding Delhi’s existing, severe air quality crisis, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) already sits in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ categories.
However, meteorological experts provided reassurances, explaining that since the ash remained in the upper troposphere, the risk of significant ground-level impact was low, limited mainly to making the skies appear hazier.
Nonetheless, health experts in Delhi warned that even trace deposits of volcanic glass and sulphur dioxide at the surface pose a respiratory risk to vulnerable populations already battling the capital’s chronic smog.
The impact in Ethiopia itself was immediate and devastating to local communities. Villages like Afdera were blanketed in heavy ash, dealing a serious blow to the remote region’s predominantly livestock-herding economy.
The ash-covered land makes grazing impossible, raising fears of long-term economic fallout and potential humanitarian needs in the area near the Eritrean border.
From the perspective of London-UK, the event underscores the critical role of satellite monitoring and international cooperation in tracking these global atmospheric anomalies.
The eruption of the long-silent Ethiopian volcano and the subsequent disruption in Delhi serve as a clear, dramatic demonstration of how a single geological event on one continent can instantly create a security and logistical crisis thousands of miles away.
Headline Points
Dormancy Broken:
Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on Sunday, November 24, 2025, after lying dormant for nearly 12,000 years.
Global Drift:
The ash plume was propelled by high-altitude winds at up to 130 km/h across the Arabian Sea, entering Indian airspace and passing over Delhi-NCR and surrounding states.
Primary Threat:
The major impact was on aviation, with airlines cancelling and diverting flights to avoid volcanic ash and fine glass particles that pose a critical risk to jet engines operating at high altitudes.
Air Quality:
Although the ash plume moved across Delhi amid toxic air, meteorological experts confirmed the high-altitude nature of the plume meant there was minimal impact on ground-level air quality (AQI).
Local Devastation:
Near the volcano, villages in the Afar region were covered in heavy ash, threatening the livelihoods and livestock of local herding communities.
