MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is still rerouting flights even after the failure of North Korea’s rocket launch.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) lifted the declaration of a no-fly, no-sail, and no-fishing zone where debris from North Korea’s scheduled rocket launch was expected to fall. The NDRRMC made the announcement after the US, Japan and South Korea declared as a failure Pyongyang’s rocket launch on Friday, April 13.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) however said it will still reroute flights until Monday, April 16. The no-fly zone was set to be in effect from April 12 to April 16.
In an interview over radio dzBB, CAAP spokesperson Floramel Joy Songsong said the agency will still implement the no-fly zone between 5 am to 1 pm. The zone covers an area 190 nautical miles (352 kilometers) northeast of Sta. Ana, Cagayan and 150 nautical miles (278) east of Polilio Island, Quezon.
“It will be an even bigger adjustment if we suddenly change the routes again because the schedule is already set,” she said in Filipino.
“Because this is a process of relaying information, we will still implement the no-fly zone until April 16. After all, that’s just a few days away and the rerouting is only during the morning.”
About 20 flights were rerouted from April 12 to 16, the period when North Korea scheduled its rocket launch.
CAAP said it temporarily closed three northeastern air corridors, resulting in an additional 20 minutes of travel time for the airlines.
The airlines included Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Delta Airlines.
Despite warnings from the international community, North Korea pushed through with its rocket launch early Friday morning.
The US, South Korea and Japan, however said that the launch failed, with the rocket breaking apart in the first minutes.
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the rocket launch.
North Korea has said that the rocket is intended to put a weather satellite into orbit.
Washington and other countries however suspected that the launch is a cover for testing a long-range ballistic missile, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. – Rappler.com
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