THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday updated its warning to pilots relating to volcanoes that should be avoided, with Kanlaon now added to Taal and Mayon as being at risk of sudden eruptions.
“The CAAP has updated its NOTAM (notices to airmen) to inform and alert flying aircraft of the current alert levels and associated risks in light of the ongoing unrest at the Taal, Mayon, and Kanlaon volcanoes,” the regulator said.
All three NOTAMs indicate that sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions can pose “significant hazards to aircraft from the surface up to 10,000 feet.”
Mayon Volcano in Bicol, a region in the southeastern part of Luzon, has been placed by state volcanologists under alert level 2, which indicates an increasing unrest.
Seven airports in the Bicol Region are operated by CAAP. These are: Bulan, Sorsogon, Daet, Masbate, Naga, Virac, and the Bicol International Airport.
Taal Volcano in southwestern Luzon and Mount Kanlaon in eastern Visayas are under a lower alert level 1, with both showing abnormal conditions or low-level unrest. — Justine Irish D. Tabile