Delhi, Mumbai flights delayed as Krakatau ash cloud spreads over Asia

Flights at Delhi and Mumbai airports faced delays on Tuesday as volcanic ash from Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau spread across Asian airspace.

Across the region, 2,927 flights were delayed and 584 cancelled, with disruption reaching Tokyo, Shanghai, Jakarta and Indian metros.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport logged 177 delays and 4 cancellations; Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport logged 245 delays and 3 cancellations.

IndiGo reported 258 delayed flights and 9 cancellations, while Air India reported 114 delays and 2 cancellations amid the disruption.

The eruption began on September 4 in the Sunda Strait, and volcanologists have kept the alert level elevated, warning of continued eruption risk.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recorded the highest number of cancellations in the region, with 207 flights called off as ash plumes drifted over the airspace.

Tokyo’s Haneda Airport recorded the highest delay count of any single airport, with 394 delayed flights as congestion rippled across connecting hubs.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport also reported disruption, logging 178 delays and 8 cancellations as the ash cloud affected regional air corridors.

As of September 7, Indonesian volcanological authorities kept Anak Krakatau at Alert Level III, warning that the risk of further eruptions remained high and that airports were reopening in phases rather than all at once.

Etihad Airways and SpiceJet were among the international and domestic carriers reporting delays on services to and from Delhi and Mumbai during the disruption.

Volcanic ash poses a direct safety hazard to jet engines, which is why aviation authorities impose ground restrictions and altitude diversions rather than allowing aircraft to fly through affected airspace.

Garuda Indonesia and Batik Air, the two largest carriers based in the affected region, reported the heaviest cancellation rates of any airline tracked in the disruption.

Airlines advised passengers travelling through affected hubs to check flight status directly with carriers before heading to the airport, as ash-related restrictions were being updated through the day.

Interior of Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Wikimedia Commons, CC0