NEW DELHI, Nov 25: Indian airlines, including Air India and Akasa Air, on Tuesday said that they were cancelling some flights in the wake of the ash plumes from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia disrupted operations.

In a post on X, Air India mentioned that a total of 11 flights were cancelled since Monday, when the ash plume was first seen entering the Indian airspace. It said, "The following Air India flights have been cancelled as we carry out precautionary checks on those aircraft which had flown over certain geographical locations after the Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption. 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."

Air India said it is conducting precautionary inspections on aircraft that recently operated over specific regions following the Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption.

Similarly, Akasa Air also said it had scrapped some scheduled flights in West Asia for destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled during November 24-25.

Earlier on Monday, IndiGo also cancelled six of its flights, according to a report and it added that several other flights were diverted. According to a report, KLM also cancelled some flight operations, with all airlines mandated to readjust their schedules and routes after authorities assessed the situation.

A huge ash plume from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano, which has erupted for the first time in almost 12,000 years, reached India at about 10 pm on Monday.

The ash plume was released into the atmosphere after an explosive eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano, situated in Ethiopia's Erta Ale Range, started at about 8:30 am on Sunday.

The large ash plume consists of volcanic ash, sulphur dioxide and small particles of glass and rock. Reports suggested that while the eruption has stopped now, a large ash plume moved towards India at a speed of 100–120 km/h and was travelling at altitudes between 15,000–25,000 feet up to 45,000 feet.

After the eruption, signs of volcanic ash were observed in parts of the Arabian Peninsula, prompting airlines to advise passengers flying through West Asia to exercise caution.

Reports indicated that the ash cloud will initially sweep into Gujarat before advancing towards Rajasthan, north-west Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, and eventually moving into the Himalayan region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday that the ash clouds are drifting towards China and cleared Indian skies by late evening.

Issuing a detailed advisory on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) instructed airlines to avoid designated volcanic-ash zones and affected flight levels, and to modify flight routes, planning and fuel requirements based on the most recent updates.

Airlines were told to immediately report any suspected encounter with ash, including unusual engine behaviour or signs of smoke or odour inside the cabin.

The DGCA added that if volcanic ash impacts airport operations, the concerned operator must inspect runways, taxiways and aprons without delay. Depending on the level of contamination, flight movements may be restricted until cleaning and safety checks are completed.

Air traffic system 'up and functional' after glitch at Delhi airport; 800 flights delayed

NEW DELHI, Nov 7: The Airports Authority of India said that its air traffic control messaging system at Delhi airport is “up and functional”, a day after a technical glitch disrupted hundreds of flights. More than 800 flights were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday due to a glitch in the Air Traffic Control system.

According to the airport, a technical issue was detected with the Automatic Message Switching System that supports the ATC flight planning process. Air traffic controllers were forced to manually prepare flight plans using available data, a time-consuming process that resulted in flight delays.

Passengers were advised to check for flight updates before heading to the airport, the airport said in a statement.

Flight operations at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have also been impacted, data from Flightradar 24 showed.

All major airlines, including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, said their services were affected, leading to long queues and slower operations.

Mumbai airport said in a statement that its flight operations were also impacted.

Delhi’s IGI Airport, the busiest in the country, manages more than 1,500 flights each day.

Over 800 flights cancelled in US as flight cuts at 40 airports kick in amid US govt shutdown

NEW YORK, Nov 7: More than 800 flights were cancelled in United States even as the flight cuts announced at 40 airports – including New York, Los Angeles and San Diego – are set to kick in on Friday.

This comes after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a 4 per cent reduction in flights at 40 airports across the US to cut traffic starting Friday, even as operations remain impacted amid the government shutdown.

Following the FAA order, several major airlines preemptively cancelled hundreds of flights scheduled for today, with the mandated cuts expected to increase to 10 per cent next week if the shutdown continues, CNN reported.

The flight cancellations stood at 800 at around 4:30 am ET on Friday, four times the number of cancellations a day earlier, according to data from FlightAware. The cancellations on Thursday stood at 201. Several airlines have assured passengers of a full refund for the tickets of the flights cancelled.

Meanwhile, the FAA has warned that up to 4,000 flights could be affected per day if the shutdown does not end, with the control towers at airports struggling due to absences from air traffic controllers, according to BBC.

The flight cuts were announced by the US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during a presser on Wednesday. “It's going to lead to more cancellations, but we are going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way,” he said.

While public details on the recent measure are very sparse, some aspects about the US government's plan are known, according to a Bloomberg report.

Airlines have reportedly been informed that the flight cuts should usually come between 6 am and 10 pm, according to people familiar with the matter. The people refused to be identified given that these details have not been made public yet, Bloomberg reported.

Apart from this, government officials have told carriers that the flight reductions are likely to start at 4 per cent and then build to 10 per cent some time next week. However, the officials have reportedly said that international flights would be exempted from these cuts.

According to a report from Sheila Kahyaoglu, an analyst with Jefferies, the big four airlines in the US, which have the most flights in the country's largest hubs, will likely be the most impacted during November and December.