CAAP to Cebu Pacific: Remove plane or else

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Top officials of the CAAP warn that they will be forced to take over the extraction process if Cebu Pacific misses the final 3pm deadline

ULTIMATUM. The government gives Cebu Pacific a final 3pm deadline to remove its aircraft that overshot and currently obstructing the Davao airport runway. Photo by Karlos Manlupig

MANILA, Philippines – The final deadline for budget carrier Cebu Pacific to tow away its Airbus A320-200 aircraft stuck on the grassy part of the Davao international airport landing strip is at 3pm Tuesday, June 4.

Top officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) warned that they will be forced to take over the extraction process if Cebu Pacific misses this deadline again.

“The airline had more than 24 hours to get the aircraft off the runway… If they cannot do so at 3 pm, we will take over,” CAAP director-general William Hotchkiss said in a press conference Tuesday. 

CAAP is in-charge of investigating the incident involving a Cebu Pacific aircraft that skidded off the runway after touchdown on Sunday, June 2, amid heavy rain.

“There is a law that says you must have the consent of the owner to remove the aircraft,” admitted CAAP Deputy Director General John Andrews, but he said public interest is now paramount. 

Cebu Pacific has hired a team from a Singapore engineering company to move the plane out and clear the runway so operations can resume at the country’s 3rd busiest airport.

Andrews said the process has been painfully slow since Cebu Pacific wants to salvage the plane so it could still use it. Debates include whether to tow the aircraft from the rear or the front. 

He said the plane may “no longer be salvageable” considering the extent of damage since both of the plane’s engines were severely damaged.

In a press conference in Malacañang, Presidential Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said they are concerned that the airport is still closed. “It’s also important for us to get the normal traffic going again in the Davao Airport.”

At least 40 flights have been cancelled or re-routed, and hundreds of passengers have been affected after Cebu Pacific flight 5J 971 from Manila carrying 165 passengers had a mishap.

Pilot error?

On Tuesday morning, Andrews held several media interviews suggesting that pilot error was likely the reason for the incident.

Citing initial findings, he said there was nothing wrong with the plane’s engine. He also noted that another Cebu Pacific aircraft landed safely in the same airport just two minutes before the accident.

“Evidence does not lie. We have now evidence that points to possible human factor. In other words, it may be pilot error,” he said.

In an ANC interview, he showed a graphic showing the point where the aircraft touched down was a far from the runway.

“The right wheel touched down very, very close to the edge of the grass portion. It traveled only a few hundred meters before it hit the grassy portion. That is why passengers said they felt a strong vibration,” Andrews told ANC.

“During all this time, the captain had engines in full reverse, that’s why a lot of debris was thrown toward the runway,” he added.

He said the flight data recorder and the landing path will be further studied.

Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog stressed that their pilots are experienced in handling the multi-billion aircraft.

On Monday evening, Cebu Pacific chief executive officer Lance Gokongwei apologized for the inconvenience experienced by passengers following the closure fo the Davao airport since Sunday night. 

‘Let Cebu Pacific handle complaints’

At the Palace, Carandang said they are aware of the mounting complaints from affected passengers, but are not bent on intervening just yet.

“We understand the concerns of the public and we share those concerns. But we wanted to give them (Cebu Pacific) a chance and we’ve given them until 3pm,” he said.

“You’ve seen the reports from the passengers and let’s let that speak for itself, and let’s let Cebu Pacific deal with it and explain to the passengers…It’s a matter for their customer service,” he added.

“This is a Davao Airport situation and a Cebu Pacific situation. It’s not necessarily something that the Palace will involve itself in at this point.”

Carandang, however, said they are waiting for the results of the CAAP investigation, and prefer not to speculate on the reasons for the mishap.

“We don’t know what the results of the investigation would be. We don’t know if it’s going to be definitively concluded as pilot error, which is what we’re hearing. At this point it’s not helpful to speculate until we know what the facts are. Once the facts have been determined and put in place, then we can recommend or we can determine what proper course of action will be,” he said. – Rappler.com

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