MANILA, Philippines - Cebu Pacific has only until 3 p.m. of Tuesday to clear the runway of the Davao International Airport where one of its aircraft overshot last Sunday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.
In a televised press briefing on Tueday, CAAP Director-General William Hotchkiss III said Cebu Pacific, being the owner of the stalled Airbus A320-200, has the obligation to extract it from the runway.
"I have to stress that the obligation to clear an aircraft off a runway because of an accident belongs to the airline operator," Hotchkiss said.
He added that CAAP will step in if Cebu Pacific is unable to remove the aircraft.
"If they cannot do so by 3 p.m., then we will take over... We can do it as expeditiously as possible. That is an option we can take. But even without that option, we will do everything in our power to get that airpline off the runway," the CAAP chief said.
In the same briefing, CAAP Deputy Director General John Andrews said if they will extract the aircraft, it will not be impounded as it will be simply be removed from the runway to let the Davao airport resume its operations.
He said CAAP will take all available means to remove the plane, which may sustain further damage during its extraction.
The agency said they will be able to extract the plane within three hours.
In an earlier television interview on Tuesday, Andrews said CAAP wants to take over the clearing operations but it cannot do so without consent from Cebu Pacific.
"There is a law that says you must have the consent of the owner to move the aircraft. Until this law is repealed, removed, we will not have the right to remove the aircraft," Andrews said.
Hotchkiss said the incident's damage to the economy cannot be quantified yet but "definitely business in Davao has been affected."
Pilot error
Andrews said initial findings point out pilot error as the likely cause of the plane mishap.
"There is a saying theat evidence does not lie. We have now evidence that points to possible human factor. In other words, [it] may be pilot error," he said. Related story: CAAP: Pilot error caused Davao airport mishap
The CAAP deputy chief said these findings will be confirmed later on when the plane's flight data recorder is sent to Singapore for investigation.
"I am definite that these findings will support statements that I have previously made,"
The CAAP is also taking into consideration the possibility of suspending the airline company, which has liabilities over the incident, according to Andrews.
The license of the aircraft's pilot may also be revoked if proven that the plane mishap was due to his error.
The ill-fated plane's pilot and crew have been grounded by CAAP.