Sri Lanka to revamp aviation laws

A new Civil Aviation Bill is in the making to effectively facilitate and regulate the Civil Aviation Industry of the country, in keeping with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Sri Lankan government said today.
Sri Lanka's cabinet yesterday approved a proposal submitted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Ports and Aviation Minister to amend the present Air Navigation Act which was enacted 60 years ago, to keep to the present day requirements of civil aviation while fulfilling state obligations.

The government says under the present context the Act has almost become obsolete and it needs revamping to comply with the modern day legal requirements and advances made over the last 60 years.

"Since the government has given priority to development tourism as one of the economic pillars of this country, the existing act has many shortages to address the modern and sophisticated developments in the aviation industry," the government said.

Accordingly the government will draft a new bill to address and remedy the deficiencies in the present regulations and update the legal framework. The new Act will be submitted in Parliament for approval, the government said.