Cebu Pacific Air (5J, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) has applied to the Filipino Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to assume rival Philippine Airlines' unused Tokyo Haneda traffic slots. According to the Business Inquirer newspaper, Philippine Airlines' has only utilized 11 of the 14 weekly frequencies CAB allocated it in May and could lose access to those 3 outstanding should it fail to exercise them by the end of this month.

Cebu is attempting to leverage the CAB's "use-it-or-lose-it" stance on slot allocation and has been particularly hawkish about the much sought after Haneda slots.

Cebu's Tokyo operations are currently restricted to Tokyo Narita after the CAB rejected its application for seven Haneda slots in favour of allocating all fourteen to Philippine Airlines.

However, Philippine Airlines has rejected Cebu's claims of underutilization stating instead that it will gradually phase in the three remaining slots during the first half of 2015.

The CAB has set a December 10 date for Cebu's petition to be heard.