Ancient Ethiopian volcano eruption causes massive ash spread and disrupts flights

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia erupted explosively on Sunday, November 23, 2025, for the first time in approximately 12,000 years. Thick smoke surged 9 miles into the atmosphere, eventually spreading eastward over the Red Sea. The eruption has stopped, but its highly elevated ash cloud is still traveling. Swift high-altitude winds carried the toxic mixture of fine particles, rock, and glass across the Red Sea. Recent reports suggest that the ash cloud travelled across Yemen and Oman, reaching parts of Northern Pakistan and India. The latest analysis added that the plume is now dispersing into the upper atmosphere, moving from Northern India toward China and the Pacific Ocean along the Subtropical Jetstream. Ash clouds pose a major risk to air travel, leading to flight cancellations, diversions, and official advisories for carriers in affected regions. The flights were either cancelled or rerouted as a safety precaution, impacting key routes between India and the UAE/Middle East.