JCAA Wants Regulations Segmented

In preparation for the growth and development of general aviation in Jamaica, the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is working towards the segmentation of the relevant regulations.

Director of Flight Safety at the JCAA, Noel Ellis, told JIS News that the Authority is putting the necessary measures in place to ensure that the regulations are consistent with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). “In many ICAO member states, they have regulations specifically for general aviation players. The general aviation regulations, as a whole, cover the large airlines, the small airlines, but also general aviation,” he said.

“Jamaican regulations aren’t as nimble in that regard, so that’s one of the things that we are looking at doing, segmenting our regulations to have areas specifically carved out for general aviation players,” Mr. Ellis added.

He explained that the Regulator is ensuring that it is prepared for the expected resurgence in general aviation as the Airports Authority of Jamaica continues to invest in the upgrading of airports and aerodromes.

“From the civil aviation perspective, specifically the regulatory side, we want to ensure that our regulations and our processing of applications are done as smoothly as possible to facilitate persons in the general aviation community,” he said.

The Director said that the buildout of general aviation in Jamaica is going to take some ingenuity on the part of the business community while pointing out that as the regulator, the JCAA does not implement the plans and ideas that persons have, but rather facilitates them.

Mr. Ellis said he is encouraged by the number of young persons who are entering the aviation industry, who see an opportunity for them to grow the aviation industry as a viable business.

“I am heartened to see some young people getting into general aviation who are seeing possibilities, and we’re certainly working with these entities to make it work for them and make it work for Jamaica as a whole,” he added.

The Flight Safety department is the regulatory arm of the JCAA, which enforces the rules and regulations of aviation in keeping with international standards.     General aviation is all civil aviation operations other than scheduled air services and non-scheduled air transport operations for remuneration or hire.