CAAP alerts pilots on North Korea’s satellite launch; no flight cancellations in PHL
THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday issued an alert to pilots related to the satellite launch activity of North Korea.
The notice to airmen (NOTAM) will run from 8:00 a.m. of May 31 to 7:59 a.m. of June 11, the launching dates announced by North Korea.
“The NOTAM was only relayed by our neighboring flight information regions to inform aircraft flying over the Philippine airspace about the activity,” said CAAP Spokesperson Eric B. Apolonio.
The notice does not mean any flight cancellation, he said, as the satellite launch activities are “far from the flight path of commercial flights operating in the Philippines.”
Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines confirmed that they will not be canceling any flights due to the NOTAM.
“The North Korea missile test will have no effect on our operation,” the airline said in a Viber message.
North Korea earlier announced that it has completed its first military spy satellite, and leader Kim Jong Un has approved the final launch preparations.
Meanwhile, Japan has put its ballistic missile defenses on alert and warned that it would shoot down any projectile that threatened its territory after North Korea’s announcement. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
