TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's two major air carriers, China Airlines (CAL) and EVA Airways (EVA), have canceled all flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) and Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) due to the eruption of a volcano.
On Sunday (Jan. 12), Taal Volcano in Batangas Province, 60 kilometers south of Manila, spewed steam, ash, and pebbles up to nine miles into the sky, prompting Philippine authorities to call for the "total evacuation" of over half a million people in the province. "We have asked people in high-risk areas, including the volcano island, to evacuate now ahead of a possible hazardous eruption," said Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, according to AP.
As fallen ash had covered the runways at MNL on Sunday, all departing and arriving international and domestic flights were canceled due to "volcanic ash in the vicinity of the airport," according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
On Monday (Jan. 13), CAL canceled the following flights between TPE and MNL: CI701, CI702, CI703, and CI704. Meanwhile, EVA canceled flights BR271, BR262, and BR272, reported CNA.
The Taiwan Tourism Bureau inquired with more than 10 travel agencies operating in the Philippines and found that, with the exception of the canceled flights, none of their itineraries had yet been affected, according to the report.