Taal eruption puts NAIA flights on hold

Flights to and from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have been put on hold starting Sunday evening, following the phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano.

In an advisory, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said that all flights, both arrival and departures, have been put on hold.

"Passengers are advised to coordinate with their respective airlines for flight updates," the advisory read.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), flights arriving at the NAIA are suspended from 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 12.

Meanwhile, flights departing NAIA were suspended from 6:22 p.m. the same day.

The agency revised its earlier statement, which said that the suspension would be until 11 p.m.

"[T]he suspension will be in effect until further notice. A joint assessment will be done by MIAA and CAAP early tomorrow morning," it added. 

"Aviation authorities are also discussing the potentiality of redirecting all NAIA arriving flights at Clark International Airport in Pampanga," the CAAP said in a separate advisory.

In a Facebook video, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said that he was currently in Hong Kong's airport and that his flight back to the country has been delayed.

The Taal Volcano earlier on Sunday spewed ash, which the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said was due to hydrothermal activities.

PHIVOLCS has since raised the alert status to Alert Level 3, which means that magma is near or at the surface, and activity could lead to a hazardous eruption in days or weeks. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News