CAAP bars flights near Taal, Mayon volcanoes for safety reasons
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MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday barred planes from flying and operating near Taal and Mayon volcanoes in view of increasing volcanic activities.
State volcanologists earlier placed Mayon Volcano on Alert Level 2 due to increasing unrest, while an ongoing low-level activity was reported in Taal Volcano.
“With Mayon Volcano now on Alert Level 2 and Taal Volcano on Alert Level 1, flights have been prohibited from operating 10,000 feet from the surface and advised to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from the sudden phreatic eruption can be hazardous to aircraft,” CAAP said in an advisory as it issued a notice to airmen (Notam) to plane operators.
There are seven airports operated by CAAP in the Bicol Region, namely, Bulan Airport, Sorsogon Airport, Daet Airport, Masbate Airport, Naga Airport, Virac Airport, and Bicol International Airport.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Alert Level 2 denotes an “unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruption.”
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