MANILA- The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday issued Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) due to the ongoing restiveness of Taal and Mayon volcanoes.
In a statement, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said with Mayon Volcano now on Alert Level 2 and Taal Volcano on Alert Level 1, commercial pilots and flights have been prohibited to operate 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.
In an advisory, DOST-PHIVOLCS announced that there has been an increase in rockfall from Mayon Volcano’s summit lava dome since the last week of April, from an average of 5 events per day to 49 events per day from 5 am of Sunday, June 4, to 5 am of Monday.
Phivolcs advised that since 10:30 pm of Saturday, June 3, visible upwelling of volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake produced voluminous steam-rich plumes that rose to 3,000 meters above Taal Volcano Island.
The CAAP operates seven airports in the Bicol Region, namely: Bulan Airport, Sorsogon Airport, Daet Airport, Masbate Airport, Naga Airport, Virac Airport, and Bicol International Airport.