KEY POINTS
- Ash clouds from Ethiopia’s Hailé Gobi volcano have travelled thousands of kilometres, reaching Pakistan and India.
- The ash is hovering around 500 meters above the Arabian Sea, moving northeastward under high-altitude winds.
- Populations, livestock, and other life forms remain safe despite the ash movement over the region.
ISLAMABAD: Ash clouds from Ethiopia’s highly active Hailé Gobi volcano have travelled thousands of kilometres, reaching Pakistan and India, demonstrating how high-altitude winds can carry volcanic debris across vast distances.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the ash is currently hovering around 500 meters above the Arabian Sea and being pushed northeastward by prevailing winds. The cloud was observed approximately 60 nautical miles from Gwadar.
PMD officials assured that despite the ash’s movement, populations, livestock, and other life forms on the ground remain completely safe.
The Hailé Gobi volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region about 800 kilometres northeast of Addis Ababa in the seismically active Rift Valley, erupted on Sunday morning, sending thick layers of ash into the atmosphere.
Satellite images show the ash cloud floating above a red lava sea, marking the volcano’s first eruption in 12,000 years, according to the Global Volcanism Program. Local authorities reported no casualties, though livestock feed could be affected.
Following the eruption, a dense smoke layer reached up to 14 kilometres into the sky. Driven by high-altitude winds, the ash clouds travelled across the Arabian Sea and reached northern Pakistan, Yemen, Oman, and India.
BREAKING : Volcanic ash from an eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbin volcano has drifted across the Red Sea into northern India,reaching Delhi & stretching as far as Jaipur & Jaisalmer. Flights have been cancelled & DGCA has issued an alert for airlines to avoid ash-laden airspace pic.twitter.com/lKfvCeuIOw
— Baba Banaras™ (@RealBababanaras) November 25, 2025
How the ash travelled so far
Amir Laghari, Director of Meteorology in Karachi, explained that the ash’s long-distance movement is dictated by wind patterns at higher altitudes.
Deputy Director Irfan Wark noted that the ash passed through southern Pakistan’s airspace at around 45,000 feet. Aviation advisories were issued to ensure flight safety, effective until early Tuesday morning.
“The eruption lasted for a few hours, and the ash at higher altitudes moves with the wind,” Laghari said. “Yesterday, the ash cloud passed through the M9 flight zone, prompting advisories so aircraft could adjust altitude if necessary.”
Impact on India and aviation
India Met Sky Weather reported that the ash cloud is heading toward northern India at a speed of 100–120 km/h, beginning from Gujarat, and is expected to reach western Gujarat by late evening.
The cloud, stretching between 15,000 and 45,000 feet, contains volcanic ash, sulfur dioxide, and fine particulate matter, which may cause hazy skies and affect air travel.
Regions likely to be impacted include Rajasthan, northwestern Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab, with potential spread to the Himalayas.
Several airlines cancelled flights as a precaution. Air India announced 11 cancellations, while Indigo cancelled six flights for safety inspections of planes that had flown near the eruption zone. India’s aviation regulator, DGCA, issued directives to airlines and airports to mitigate potential disruptions.
India Meteorological Department Director General M. Mohapatra said, “The effects will appear in Gujarat and Delhi in the coming hours. Ground-level impact will be minimal, but the sky may appear hazy. The effect will last only a few hours as the ash slowly moves eastward.”
This rare volcanic eruption demonstrates how natural events can affect regions thousands of kilometers away, with ash clouds traversing continents due to high-altitude winds.
