-as Guyana prepares for ICAO audit
The National Assembly last week approved 16 amendments to the Civil Aviation Act which were identified as needed following a comprehensive review of the 2018 legislation to improve the aviation sector as Guyana prepares for an upcoming audit from the Internation-al Civil Aviation Organi-zation (ICAO).
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill in his presentation to the Nation-al Assembly two Fridays ago stated that the issue of aviation safety is something that should never be compromised and the strongest possible framework of regulation is required with the highest standard of compliance.
Noting that Guyana is a member of the “international family”, Edghill said that it is required to ensure that “while we operate we meet best practices, satisfy international standards.”
He noted that they sought the services of experts in the field “to help us as a country and to work with our local team in all of the various areas to ensure that we are in a place when we are examined we get the best possible results and we score very highly.”
According to the Minis-ter, they engaged support from the ICAO and regional aviation authorities which enabled the country’s local team to carry out adequate “preparation to ensure that we get the best results.”
The Department of Public Information’s list of Amendments to the Bill include empowering the Director General and authorised inspector to conduct surveillance activities at aerodromes by including the term ‘aerodrome’ in the section.
It expands the list of accessible documents for the authority to include such as licences, permits, and logbooks, and allows inspectors to take immediate action to prevent safety or security breaches when the Director General cannot be reached.
It also allows the incorporation of additional obligations to be undertaken by Guyana as a state of registry under Article 83 of the Chicago Convention, concerning recognition of documents for foreign operators, and mandates the maintenance of journey log books for aircraft engaged in international navigation to comply with Article 34 of the Chicago Convention.
It extends access rights to individuals authorised by the Director General to intervene for safety reasons, outlining procedures for inspectors to prevent unsafe aircraft operation, and ensures compliance of Guyana-registered aircraft with international standards during operations over the high seas, incorporating relevant standards into the country’s regulations.
It also amends legislation to align with Article 3 of the Chicago Conven-tion, requiring compliance with interception orders issued by Guyana, and requires a list of documents to be carried during international flight operations to align with Article 29 of the Chicago Conven-tion, providing guidance from Annex 6.
Individuals authorised by the Director General can take actions of detaining aircraft in the position of prohibition or conditions and seizure of products and goods in line with Section 69(1), and it introduces enforcement provisions and penalties for violations related to the transport of dangerous goods by air, aligning with Annex 4 of the Chicago Convention and ICAO technical instructions.
A structured approach is also to be introduced for accident and incident investigation as required in Article 26 of the Chicago Convention and Annex 13 for compliance. It rectifies the absence of aerodrome certification by allowing certification of international and domestic aerodromes and helidecks/helipads, and replaces ambiguous standards with technical requirements to align with ICAO annexes and ensure clarity in regulations.
Noting that a total of 16 amendments were being made to the Act, Edghill said, “These sixteen amendments come out as a consequence of the review of the 2018 Civil Aviation Act and after the review wherever we found deficiencies we sought by way of amendment to bring us up to speed.”
The amendments also saw support from the Opposition side of the house before being passed.
