(Mexico City) The Popocatépetl volcano emitted a thick plume of ash in Mexico on Tuesday which reached a height of 2,000 meters, causing the cancellation of around twenty flights at Mexico City airport, located about 72 kilometers away, according to authorities.
“Twenty-two flights of different national and international airlines were canceled due to safety checks carried out on the planes following ash encountered in flight,” Mexico City International Airport (AICM) said on the social network
The AICM assured that it had not been necessary to suspend operations and that it remained attentive to the trajectory of the ashes, which were heading towards the Gulf of Mexico (east).
Federal authorities on Tuesday maintained the alert two notches below the maximum danger level, and warned of ash falls in the three central states of the country that surround the volcano’s crest: Morelos, Puebla and State of Mexico. Certain sectors of the capital could also be affected.
The last intense eruptive phase dates back to May 2023.
Mexico City is surrounded by a mountain range that limits the possibilities for air routes, which generally offer travelers views of the Popocatépetl, which rises to 5,452 meters, and its neighbor, the Iztaccihuatl, which rises rises to 5230 meters.
Over the past 24 hours, the volcano recorded 77 emanations, 952 minutes of tremors and an earthquake, indicates a civil protection report issued late Tuesday afternoon.
These numbers are similar to the colossus’ daily activity, records show.
The Popocatépetl volcano (“the mountain that smokes” in Nahuatl) awoke in 1994 after nearly 70 years and has since experienced several bursts of activity. In 1997, his ashes covered Mexico City and its region.
During periods of peak activity, it was necessary to evacuate residents of nearby rural communities.
Some 25 million people live within a 100 km radius of the volcano.