CIVIL AVIATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021, PASSED IN FEDERAL PARLIAMENT  

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 26, 2021 (SKNIS): The Civil Aviation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which is a Bill to amend the Civil Aviation Act Cap. 8.03 was passed in the Federal Parliament on Thursday, March 25, 2021.
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation and Mover of the Bill, the Honourable Mark Brantley, said that the amendment is in keeping with recommendations put forward by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
 
“This Bill seeks to give effect to certain recommendations made to us by ICAO. These recommendations emanated from the last ICAO onsite audit of St. Kitts and Nevis in June 2018,” said Minister Brantley. “It is important to state here Madame Deputy Speaker, that the most important legislative function performed by ICAO is a formation and adoption of standards and recommended practices for international civil aviation.”
 
Minister Brantley noted that the amendment is non-controversial and highlighted important proposals from ICAO.
 
“One of the most pertinent ICAO recommendations captured in the amendment relates to acts of unlawful interference. And the national legislation will be amended to be better aligned with the new international standards in that regard,” he said. “One of the important amendments proposed Madam Deputy Speaker is really to introduce this concept of acts of unlawful interference and that is treated at Section (3) as a proposed amendment to Section (2) of the principal Act.”
 
The aviation minister said that the ICAO regulations were designed to protect the integrity of civil aviation across the globe.
 
Minister Brantley added that another “equally important ICAO recommendation was to bolster our laws on background checks to better empower the appropriate authority to conduct such checks and to be more effective in conducting its oversight responsibilities.” 
 
The Civil Aviation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 had its first reading on March 04, 2021.