In the latest bout of activity from Popocatépetl, or "Don Goyo" as it is affectionately called by nearby residents, the volcano spewed a plume of smoke and ash which reached up to 27,000 feet in the air on Thursday. In response, US Airways, Delta, United, American and Alaska Airlines cancelled their flights to and from Mexico City before returning to their usual schedules on Friday. Flights affected were bound for Houston, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Chicago and Los Angeles.
"The decision not to fly from Mexico City has been made by these airlines, but the airport is in operable conditions," Andres Gomez, a Mexico City airport representative, said on local television, according to Reuters. AeroMexico, Mexico's biggest airline, also suspended flights for a period of about an hour on Thursday morning before resuming operations. There was no evidence of volcanic ashfall in the airport's immediate vicinity, but some did reach as far as southern districts of the capital. According to Wired, nearly 100 small explosions accompanied by nearly constant high-frequency tremors were recorded in the crater of Popocatépetl.
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American Airlines said in a statement that it had cancelled the flights as a precautionary measure. Volcanic ash can be harmful to jet engines.
"We are closely monitoring the situation in Mexico City as volcanic ash continues to be emitted from Popocatepetl," said American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller.
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Reuters reports that Mexico City's airport serves more than 29 million people a year and oversaw 174,511 takeoffs and landings between January and June.
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The volcano has been exploding continuously over the past week, expelling incandescent material and ash which authorities said could potentially be harmful to the respiratory systems, skin and eyes of people living in the state of Puebla, where the volcano is located. Mexico's National Disaster Center raised the volcanic alert level to Phase 3 Yellow, which signifies a high-medium risk of the possibility of an eruption. One notch higher would occasion evacuation measures, according to the BBC. The Center added that in the event of an eruption, evacuees would be more than 11,000 people from a total of 18 municipalities residing in the shadow of the volcano. Authorities have sealed off a zone of about 7 square miles around the volcano, declaring it a "no-go" zone.
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