A number of flights to and from the UAE have been cancelled due to a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia, which has caused widespread travel disruption.
The eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano on Sunday, its first in nearly 12,000 years, sent thick plumes of ash up to 14km into the sky and across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman.
Akasa Air cancelled all flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Kuwait on Tuesday, having grounded the same routes on Monday. Air Arabia cancelled morning flights from Sharjah to Damascus, Kabul, Sohar and Islamabad, according to the flight status section of its website.
A SpiceJet flight from Dubai to Kochi in Kerala - due to depart at 12.25pm – has been delayed until 6.05pm, the Dubai Airports website states.
Emirates and Etihad flights on schedule
Emirates flights from Dubai on Tuesday are so far unaffected by the volcanic disruption, the Dubai Airports flight schedule shows. The airline confirmed there had been no impact on operations but encouraged travellers to check for travel updates on its website.
Etihad Airways said flights had been not been disrupted, but it was monitoring the situation.
"Etihad Airways is aware of weather conditions affecting flights across the GCC and Asia, following the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia on November 23," the airline said. "Etihad flights remain on schedule and will operate as planned. We will continue to monitor the situation closely. The safety of our guests and crew remains our highest priority."
Air India suspended flights from Dubai to Hyderabad and from Dubai to Chennai on Monday. Journeys between India and Doha and Saudi Arabia were also halted, along with long-haul routes from the US.
The airline cancelled several domestic flights on Tuesday owing to the volcanic eruption. "Our ground teams across the network are keeping passengers updated on their flight status and are providing immediate assistance, including hotel accommodation," Air India wrote on social media.
"We are making every effort to arrange alternative travel at the earliest. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen situation beyond our control. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority."
Fellow Indian airline, IndiGo, diverted a flight from Kannur to Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad after ash drifted close to Indian airspace.
