Indian airlines Air India and Acasa Air announced on Tuesday the cancellation of several international and domestic flights after the eruption of Ethiopia's Haile Gobi volcano caused ash clouds that disrupted air traffic over the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.
Air India said it cancelled 11 flights on Monday and Tuesday and carried out thorough checks on aircraft that flew over the affected areas, in compliance with directives from the Indian Civil Aviation Authority, which called for an inspection of the safety of engines and the external surfaces of aircraft.
Acasa Air cancelled several scheduled flights to destinations in the Middle East, including Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, over the past two days, as a result of the impact of volcanic ash.
Ethiopian volcanoes erupted for the first time last Sunday, spewing ash columns up to 14 kilometers high. The gray clouds moved across Yemen, Oman and Pakistan to cover parts of northern India on Tuesday, and are currently moving towards China.
Volcanic ash poses a significant risk to aircraft, as it can melt inside engines at high temperatures and turn into glass that obstructs airflow, potentially causing engines to suddenly stop.
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