Caap warns pilots to avoid flying close to rumbling Kanlaon Volcano

This handout photo courtesy of Dollet Demaflies shows Mount Kanlaon volcano spewing a large plume of ash during an eruption as seen from La Castellana town, Negros Occidental province, central Philippines on June 3, 2024. (Photo handout courtesy of Dollet Demaflies via Agence France-Presse)

MANILA, Philippines — Pilots should avoid flying close to Kanlaon Volcano as it continued to rumble on Thursday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said in a notice to airmen.

The Caap has prescribed a vertical limit from the surface extending up to 5,181.6 meters (17,000 feet).

The vertical extension took effect at 9:10 a.m. on June 6 and will last until 9 a.m. on June 7.

“Flight operators are strongly advised to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit due to the potential for sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions, which may pose a hazard to aircraft,’ Caap said in an advisory.

Kanlaon Volcano, located between Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, erupted last Monday evening.

On Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology confirmed that lahar, triggered by continuous rains, flowed into parts of Canlaon City and La Castellana town.