THOUSANDS of passengers are stranded at the Laguindingan airport in Misamis Oriental since Sunday, January 12, after some flights were cancelled due to the Taal volcanic eruption.
Laguindingan airport manager engineer Job De Jesus said two Cebu Pacific flights to Manila were cancelled while seven Manila-bound flights from all airlines were cancelled as of Monday, January 13.
De Jesus said only routes in Luzon were affected but other routes, such as Cagayan de Oro to Davao, Cebu, and other areas outside Luzon are not affected.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), when a volcano erupts, the ash cloud it produces can pose a threat to aircraft flying in the area. The volcanic ash is hard and abrasive, and can damage propellers and turbo compressor blades, as well as scratching cockpit windows which impairs visibility.
Ariel Paderan, Laguindingan airport media officer, meanwhile, said passengers can ask for refund or request to rebook their cancelled flights.
On Sunday night, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was shut down due to the volcanic activity but the partial operations was resumed noon yesterday but in a limited capacity.