MAS, AirAsia suspend flights to Manila airport after volcano spews ash

Plumes of smoke and ash rise as Taal Volcano erupts Sunday Jan 12, 2020, in Tagaytay, Cavite province, outside Manila, Philippines - AP photo

PETALING JAYA: Flights to and from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila, Philippines have been suspended due to the eruption of a volcano.

According to Malaysia Airlines, the flights from Kuala Lumpur to Manila that were affected on Sunday (Jan 12) included MH806, MH704, and MH804, while affected flights from Manila to Kuala Lumpur were MH805, MH705 and MH807.

It also noted that Flight MH804 which departed for Manila at 5.52pm returned to Kuala Lumpur and safely landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8.32pm.

"The airline is closely monitoring the situation and will adjust its flight operations when necessary," it said in a travel advisory.

Meanwhile, AirAsia said it will suspend and cancel domestic and international flights to and from NAIA.

"AirAsia guests travelling over the next few days are strongly encouraged to check their flight status at airasia.com/flightstatus for the latest updates," it said in a separate statement.

It was reported that the Taal volcano, one of Philippines's most active, spewed a kilometre-high column of ash, and several volcanic tremors were felt within the vicinity of the volcano. Taal's last eruption was in 1977.

According to Reuters, the volcano near the Philippines capital spewed ash up to 15km (nine miles) into the sky on Sunday, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people, the cancellation of flights and warnings of a possible explosive eruption and volcanic tsunami.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised its alert level to 4 out of 5 - meaning "hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days". - Star