Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority is expected to issue new regulations governing business and private aviation that, for the first time, are separate from those covering commercial air transport. Pending introduction of the new policy, which could be issued within two or three months, the government has temporarily suspended the importation of business aircraft.
Regulations and Government
News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA reauthorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.
March 18, 2013 - 2:35pm
The European Commission proposed yet another package of measures to strengthen passenger rights last week, but not without a nod to airline concerns over the resulting costs. The commission designed the new rules to make passenger life easier when things go wrong, without putting airlines out of business by demanding too much care or compensation.
“[A passenger] will have a right to information about what is going on after half an hour [in the event of a flight delay],” said EC commissioner for transport Siim Kallas.
March 15, 2013 - 9:30am
The Obama Administration notified Congress on March 7 of planned revisions to the U.S. Munitions List (USML) in the aircraft and gas-turbine engine categories. The revisions will move items considered to be non-sensitive or having dual military and commercial uses from the State Department-administered USML to the more flexible Commerce Control List (CCL) under the administration’s export control reform initiative.
March 14, 2013 - 3:10pm
The UK’s air passenger duty (APD) tax, which has been in effect for the airlines for several years, will officially be extended to business aircraft passengers on April 1. APD applies only to aircraft taking off from a UK airport, meaning it is a departure tax, based on the number of chargeable passengers, the distance to their destination and the “class” in which they are traveling.
March 14, 2013 - 3:00pm
With the FAA set to announce its finalized cost-cutting plan under sequestration on Monday–which could result in the closing of nearly 170 air traffic control towers and other agency facilities–NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen sent a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to outline the business aviation community’s “significant concerns” with the plan and offer proposals for mitigating the situation.
March 14, 2013 - 2:40pm
NBAA is supporting an amendment brought forward by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) that would halt the FAA’s plan to close nearly 170 ATC towers and other facilities in the U.S. Noting the integral role of the towers in the nation’s aviation system, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said, “It is important to keep as many as possible in operation during these difficult economic times…The Moran amendment will ensure that citizens in every corner of the U.S. continue to have access to our national aviation system.”
March 13, 2013 - 2:31pm
Patrick Ky, who has led the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) program through its development phase, has been named executive director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), effective September 1. Ky will succeed Patrick Goudou, who has headed the European safety authority based in Cologne, Germany, since it was created in September 2003.
March 12, 2013 - 3:52pm
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) sent a letter today to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, urging him to stop cuts from sequestration that will “disproportionately” affect the safety of general aviation operations. “The recommended cuts will have unacceptable consequences for the nation and the flying community,” AOPA president and CEO Craig Fuller wrote to Huerta.
March 12, 2013 - 3:28pm
Pending a judgment against Associated Air Center that could total as much as $49 million, the Dallas Love Field-based company is already planning an appeal. In the suit, brought by Tary Network and Citadella International Group in a Dallas district court, attorneys claimed that Associated and related entities engaged in a breach of contract “that led to tens of millions in losses for the jet owners, including lost profits, out-of-pocket damages and lost value.”
March 7, 2013 - 3:15pm
India’s Business Aviation Operators Association is disappointed that the government’s new budget does not have anticipated boosts for the industry. In particular, it hoped that tax changes would have stimulated the development of regional airports, which would in turn have created much needed capacity for business aviation traffic. It did contain a change to customs duty rules that gives maintenance providers up to one year to use imported spares and get relief from duties.
