Senate passes amendments to Civil Aviation Act

Members of the Senate, yesterday, gave their approval for amendments to the Civil Aviation Act, which seeks to increase the membership of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) Board.

The Bill proposes to appoint three additional persons to serve on the board, which will bring the total to 12 up from nine. The board currently has eight appointed individuals and one ex officio member, the Director General.  

In piloting the Bill, Justice Minister, Senator Mark Golding, said this adjustment has been recommended by the JCCA Board to enable the entity to manage its workload more effectively and efficiently and meet the increased demands of the global civil aviation community and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The minister noted that with increased regulation of activities such as air travel, the workload of the authority has been more demanding.

“In recent times, the authority has been experiencing an increase in the workload that it has to carry due to the demands of the global civil aviation community and the requirements of the international Civil Aviation Organisation,” he explained.

The JCAA is a statutory organisation within the Ministry of Transport and Works responsible for regulating the country’s aviation sector.

Formerly the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), the authority was established by the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act 1995, and became operational on May 1996.

It regulates air navigation and all matters relating to safety and security in civil aviation.

Jamaica, as a member of the ICAO, is required to comply with the standards of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

The Civil Aviation Bill was passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday September 15.