Jet towed; Davao airport reopens

DAVAO CITY – The Davao International Airport was finally reopened last night after a disabled Cebu Pacific jet was removed from a grassy portion where the aircraft got stuck after it overshot the runway during a thunderstorm late Sunday.

A combined team of the Cebu Pacific retrieval group, experts from Singapore, and local airport personnel used three tow trucks to remove the Airbus 320 jet from the side of the runway and tow it to the tarmac of the old terminal building located across the new airport.

Workers later cleared debris from the runway after the removal of the aircraft before the Davao airport was finally reopened at around 8 p. m.

Cebu Pacifi c ß ight 5J- 971 missed runway 23 upon landing in Davao City at about 7:05 p.m. last Sunday.

All 165 passengers, including pilot Capt. Antonio Roel Oropesa and co- pilot Capt. Edwin Perello and four crew, were not hurt.

The Airbus 320 jet reportedly skidded and veered to the right side toward a grassy portion in front of the main terminal.

The CAAP had issued an ultimatum to Cebu Pacific to clear the runway by 3 p. m. yesterday after retrieval operations were delayed.

The retrieval team initially failed to meet the 8 a.m. deadline, which was extended to 2 p.m. and then to 3 p.m.

Finally, the airliner was later told to clear the runway by 8 p.m.

Officials said if Cebu Pacific does not finish the clearing operations, the CAAP crew would pull out the aircraft to reopen the airport.

Under the rules, in the event that an aircraft was stalled at the runway, it is the responsibility of the aircraft operator to pull out the plane, and the CAAP cannot act without the consent of the owner.

The delayed reopening of the airport resulted in the cancellation yesterday of more ßights from the airport.

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines ( PAL) have shuttled stranded passengers to General Santos City, a three-hour drive from Davao, where additional flights to Manila were scheduled to accommodate more passengers.

The airlines waived all rebooking fees.

More than 3,000 passengers were stranded last Monday after the Cebu Pacific mishap shut down the Davao airport, one of the country’s busiest.

Meanwhile, Zest Air management came under fire from passengers questioning why the budget carrier has not provided any assistance.

Zest Air frontline personnel were swamped with queries ranging from why there was no meal or board and lodging provided.

The passengers complained that the airline also did not re-route ßights from General Santos.

A Zest Air employee, who asked not to be identified, said the airline decided not to provide any assistance since “they do not own the aircraft that failed.”

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte lamented the economic losses due to the closure of the airport for two days.

“We could not quantify the losses which I believe must be very huge. People come and go out of the city by land, sea and air. Several transactions must have been affected with the closure of the Davao airport for the past two days,” she said.

Frederick San Felix, CAAP southern Mindanao general manager, placed the losses at only P1 million with the cancellation of about 80 ßights of various airlines.

Duterte said heads should roll at the CAAP local office here for having mishandled the incident and for the slow removal of the aircraft from the runway.

However, the Davao City Investment Promotion Office and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce pegged the losses at P247 million.

The losses include P3 million for cancelled hotel bookings, P500,000 for airport concessionaires, P1.5 million for transport service providers; P50 million for other allied industries, P2 million for airport terminal revenues, and P190 million for cargo transactions.

CAAP sets probe

CAAP said they were investigating Cebu Pacific pilots and crew who left passengers waiting some 15 minutes before deploying emergency slides.

All of the 165 passengers were not injured, but several complained about the slow response.

CAAP deputy director general John Andrews said that pilot error probably caused the accident.

“Everyone panicked. Women and children were screaming,” Percival Jacones said.

He said that the cabin crew appeared stunned and that it took 15 minutes before the captain came out of the cockpit to address the passengers.

Duterte said airport management was late in alerting city emergency services about the landing and denied quick access to the passengers.

She said that an airport security guard called Emergency 911 to report the accident.

Aviation authorities said that all angles would be investigated.

Andrews said that the pilots and cabin crew have been grounded pending the investigation. He said that the pilots violated the standard operating procedure by not ordering an immediate evacuation of the aircraft.

Cebu Pacific president Lance Gokongwei apologized but also defended the crew’s action.

“In this situation we may not have handled all issues perfectly, but we can learn from this experience,” Gokongwei told ABS-CBN.

Bayan Muna party- list Rep. Neri Colmenares said Cebu Pacific should cooperate in the investigation of the mishap.

“They should be open to a complete investigation of the incident as well as a full review of their policies. Cebu Pacific should also shoulder all the expenses and damages incurred not just of their passengers but those of other airlines as well who were stranded,” he said.

Colmenares said two other incidents involving Cebu Pacific should also be investigated: the 2011 overshooting of the Palawan runway and a near- collision last year of a Cebu Pacific aircraft and a Zest Air plane.

Davao City Reps. Mylene Garcia- Albano and Karlo Nograles have called for an inquiry into the accident in Davao.

The Manila International Airport Authority ( MIAA) sent their three fire and rescue experts to help in the clearing operations.

Simeon Valleser, chief of Rescue and Firefi ghting Division, said that three of his men boarded a 1: 30 p. m. Cebu Pacific flight to General Santos City then proceeded to Davao.

The team composed of Rolando Gonzales, Carlo Avila and Ted Balarao brought assorted tools and equipment to lift the nose wheel.

They would also use safety mat cushions, shackles and chain blocks to lift heavy equipment.

The men were part of the contingent sent by MIAA to Tacloban in 2007 to assist in the recovery operations of a PAL aircraft that also overshot the runway.

CAAP said that the nose wheel of the aircraft collapsed but the landing gear appeared to be intact, while the plane’s left engine was damaged.

Malacañang expressed concern yesterday over the Cebu Pacific mishap, saying the airline should deal with the complaints of the passengers and immediately remove the aircraft that shut down operations at the Davao airport.

“What’s important for us is to determine the cause of the accident and to take steps to prevent that from happening again. Now, we’re giving Cebu Pacific time to clear the area so that normal operations can resume in the Davao airport,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said in a press briefing.

Carandang said the CAAP had given Cebu Pacific a deadline because it was “important for us to get the normal traffic going again in the Davao airport.”

He justified CAAP’s decision to allow Cebu Pacific to clear the area and defended the agency against criticisms that it had been slow in responding.

“We wanted to give Cebu Pacific a chance to do it themselves.

It’s their property that was damaged,” he said.

Carandang said he could not comment on the liability of the airline since all the facts were not yet determined.

“We would have to wait and see what happens fi rst; what the results of the investigation would be,” Carandang said, adding he was not aware as to whether Cebu Pacific’s operations would be suspended.

He said the company should address the concerns of passengers, most of whom complained that nobody from the airline was around to assist them after the mishap.

Mayor Duterte announced yesterday the opening of a local text hotline for passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight 5J971.

Duterte earlier expressed her dismay over the CAAP officials’ improper handling of the incident.

She lamented that the affected passengers were made to fend for themselves after the incident.

“Passengers of Cebu Pacifi c Flight 5J971 who wish to seek assistance regarding their complaint against airport authorities are advised to text or call 0908-3819130 or visit www.davaocity.gov.ph or www. facebook. com/ davaocitygov or go to the Help Desk at the City Mayor’s Office,” said the announcement released by Duterte’s office.

Carandang also allayed fears that the Cebu Pacific mishap might affect the country’s bid for an aviation upgrade as representatives from the European Union were currently in the country for a safety audit.

He said the incident should not be a reflection of the country’s whole aviation situation.

“I think what happened (to) Cebu Pacific is not something that you can say ( is) systemic. So we will leave it to the inspectors to have an appreciation of what impact that will have.

“But I can say, at this point, that the steps that were recommended for us to be taken off Category 2 are being taken by our airport authorities and this should not be a reflection of that,” he said.

In 2007, the Philippines was downgraded to Category 2 status by the US Federal Aviation Administration, preventing the country from adding travel frequencies to the United States and Europe. Ð With Prinz Magtulis, Rudy Santos, Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica, Lawrence Agcaoili, AP