MANILA — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday said flights were prohibited to operate near the Taal and Mayon volcanoes as they showed increased activity.
In a statement, CAAP said it issued Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) for both active volcanoes.
Flights were prohibited to operate 10,000 feet from the surface and advised to avoid flying close to the summit due to ash from phreatic eruption which can be hazardous to aircraft, it said.
Mayon Volcano is now on Alert Level 2 while Taal Volcano is on Alert Level 1, according to an advisory by DOST-PHILVOCS.
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 a.m. on June 4, 5 a.m. of June 5, CAAP said, citing PHILVOCS data.
Meanwhile, PHILVOLCs also advised that since 10:30 p.m. on June 3, visible upwelling of volcanic fluids in the main crater lake produced steam-rich plumes that rose 3,000 meters above Taal Volcano island.
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