House Approves Airports Economic Regulations

The Airports (Economic Regulations) (Licence) Regulations, 2003 has been approved by the House of Representatives unopposed, and is to take effect from September 30, 2003. The Regulations provide the framework for the application of airport charges at Sangster International in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International in Kingston, as well as the general commercial terms governing these charges.
State Minister of Transport and Works, Dr. Fenton Ferguson at Tuesday’s (Sept. 30) sitting of the House, piloted the regulations under section 21 (1) of the Airports (Economic Regulation) Act, 2002, which was passed in January and came into effect on December 31, that year.
The main purpose of this Act is to provide the regulatory framework for the privatisation of airports. Both Sangster and Norman Manley were included in the schedule, as the airports to which the Act would apply. Prior to this, the Airports Authority of Jamaica owned and managed both airports and the domestic aerodromes, under the Airports Authority Act.
Under the Airports (Economic Regulation) Act, however, the Civil Aviation Authority has been designated as the body to perform economic regulations for the scheduled airports, while the domestic aerodromes will continue to be governed under the provisions of the Airports Authority Act.
“What we are effectively doing,” Dr. Ferguson said, “is creating a separate regulatory scheme for the scheduled Sangster and Norman Manley airports”, pointing out that the charges to be implemented under the Airports (Economic Regulation) (Licence) Regulations 2003, were the same as those which now exist in the Airports Authority Landing and Passenger Service Fees Regulation 2002.
“What is changing is that an airport operator will now apply to the Civil Aviation Authority for permission to levy airport charges. The Civil Aviation Authority will grant a licence to the airport operator and the licence will contain the fees to be charged”. Dr. Ferguson explained.