Barbados will soon have a Civil Aviation Bill. This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, during the first Barbados Aviation Industry Forum, held yesterday at the Barbados Hilton.
“I’m pleased to share with you that we are in the final stages of finalisation of the Barbados Civil Aviation Authority and the regulatory framework that anchors the establishment of that authority,” Minister Cummins said.
In addition, she shared that the provision of services from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to work with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to finalise the bill was being worked on so that this country would have the benefit of international subject matter experts weighing in on the Bill.
Once that Bill is completed and passed in Parliament, the International Civil Aviation Authority will be created paving the way for Barbados to undertake a raft of transformational initiatives in aviation.
Other works in the pipeline with regards to civil aviation include the Barbados Civil Aviation Department building on the creation of the Civil Aviation Authority and all the regulatory work that would be central to that which will ultimately pave the way for Category One Status for the Grantley Adams International Airport. An international consulting team has been contracted to help with achieving that status.
Minister Cummins went on to state: “Barbados must position itself to completely transition also into a regional hub for international carriers with interests in both cargo and passengers and that involves an extensive body of work which is under way at all levels locally, regionally and internationally.”
She also explained that by the time the Ministry has completed the current phases, Barbados would have created an entirely new aviation industry that allows for the creation of new global partnerships, new regional and international opportunities, and the creation of new clusters of businesses in support of aviation.
Minister Cummins added: “This is and must be a partnership of public policy, public seed capital, private sector investment, innovation, technology, regulatory development and skills development for the jobs of the future. This cannot just be about what we see now. It has to be about anchoring what we have now, defending market share, moving forward to be disruptive and carving our new markets and new competitive advantage in aviation.”