Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport has temporarily stopped all flight operations following an eruption of nearby volcano ‘Taal’.
According to an initial NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued Sunday evening, the airport would remain closed until at least 11 pm. The closure was later extended. Manila Airport’s flight operations partially resumed on Monday afternoon.
The country’s flag-carrier Philippine Airlines, which is based at the airport, has issued a warning to passengers: “Please be advised that the Manila Airport has been declared CLOSED from 7PM to 11PM today January 12 (Sunday) due to volcanic ash emissions that have reached Manila skies.”
Philippine’s Department of Science and Technology has raised the alert for volcano Taal to the second highest level, meaning ‘hazardous eruption imminent’.
The airport of the Philippine capital served more than 45 million passengers in 2018, placing it among the 50 largest airports in the world by passenger traffic.
Jakob Wert is an aviation journalist from Germany. He built up the website IFN.news and is the Editor-In-Chief of International Flight Network.
