Grenada has taken the first step to make more than 20 amendments to the 2004 Civil Aviation Act.
This legislation which is a model OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) law makes provisions with respect to the regulation, operation, and control of Civil Aviation in Grenada.
Phillip Telesford, leader of government business in the House, presented the bill to legislators and explained that the amendments seek to reflect and implement Grenada’s obligations under the Agreement to enact legislation to facilitate the functions of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA), for the collective benefit of the participating states of ECCAA.
“This bill forms part of a suite of amending legislation, including the protocol to amend the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority Agreement and the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority Agreement (Amendment of Schedule) Order, 2022,” he said while explaining that the legislation has been recommended by ECCAA to improve legislative deficiencies resulting in ECCAA and the airports of participating states being downgraded from Category 1 to Category 2 by the Federal Aviation Authority of the United States of America (“FAA”).
The amendments are already approved by legislators in St. Kitts and Nevis and when it’s approved during the meeting of the Upper House next week Monday, December 19 2022, Grenada will become the second OECS country to comply with the recommendations aimed at improving safety measures at regional airports.
Among the changes is a new indictable offence which carries a maximum of EC$50,000 or five-year imprisonment.
“The new offence is willfully committing or attempting to commit any act of unlawful interference that jeopardizes the safety of civil aviation and would be an indictable offence,” Telesford told members when he presented the bill for debate.
The new subsections provide for the following maximum penalties: in the case of an individual, $50,000, 5 years imprisonment, or both and in the case of a corporation, $150,000,” he said.
Section 40 which is subtitled “Prohibitions, offences and punishment,” says among other things that no person shall— (a) willfully destroy any document required under this Act to be kept; (b) make or cause to be made any false entry in a record required under this Act to be kept with intent to mislead or willfully omit to make any entry in any such record; and except as authorized under this Act, willfully operate or otherwise deal with an aircraft that has been detained under this Act.
It also prohibits any person to operate any aircraft in such a negligent or reckless manner as to endanger or to be likely to endanger the safety of persons or property.
CMC/
