Ethiopian Volcanic Eruption Leads To Flight Rerouting And Cancellations At Mumbai CSMIA Airport

Mumbai: Air traffic at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai faced significant rerouting and delays on Tuesday as a massive ash plume from the long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia drifted over Indian airspace, impacting high-altitude routes across Western and Northern India, including the Delhi-NCR region.

The disruption follows the first major eruption of the Hayli Gubbi shield volcano in nearly 10,000 years on Sunday. High-altitude winds carried the ash cloud, which rose to approximately 14 kilometers (45,000 feet), across the Red Sea, the Arabian Peninsula, and finally into the Indian subcontinent.

Multiple airlines faced disruptions led by the volcanic disruptions forcing them to either delay, reroute or cancel the scheduled operations. Air India cancelled 11 domestic and international flights on Monday and Tuesday to carry out precautionary checks on those aircraft which had flown over certain geographical locations after the volcanic eruption.

This includes AI-2290 Doha-Mumbai and AI 2250 Dammam–Mumbai on Monday while AI 2822 Chennai–Mumbai, AI 2444 / 2445 Mumbai–Hyderabad–Mumbai and AI 2471 / 2472 Mumbai–Kolkata–Mumbai were cancelled on Tuesday. “Our ground teams across the network are keeping passengers updated on their flight status and are providing immediate assistance, including hotel accommodation. We are making every effort to arrange alternative travel at the earliest,” said a spokesperson.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a safety advisory to all Indian aviation operators through an ASHTAM to review the operational manuals on volcanic ash procedures and brief all concerned personnel accordingly. It asked pilots, dispatchers and cabin crew to strictly avoid volcanic ash-affected areas and make adjustments to flight planning, routing, and fuel considerations based on the latest advisory. DGCA also said that all operators will activate internal safety risk management processes, including monitoring for engine performance fluctuations.

In response, major carriers adjusted their schedules, impacting Mumbai's connectivity, including rerouting of flights departing Mumbai and heading West to take longer and safer paths over the Arabian Sea. According to Mumbai air traffic control (ATC), around 30 flights, which were bound to travel through the Middle-East, were rerouted to avoid the volcanic ash corridor. "Many aircraft are rerouted by different routes as they are avoiding L639 and taking mostly oceanic routes like M300 and P570," an official from Mumbai ATC told The Free Press Journal.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) issued a passenger advisory urging travelers to check with their respective airlines for real-time flight status updates before heading to the airport.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/