CHAPTER
286
AIRPORTS |
ARRANGEMENT OF
SECTIONS |
SECTION |
|
|
Management, etc., of airports. |
|
Construction of private airport or airfield. |
Registration of airfields. |
|
Cancellation of registration. |
Duty of Director to maintain register. |
|
|
|
|
SCHEDULE - Airports. |
CHAPTER 286 |
AIRPORTS |
An Act to
make provision for the management, control and supervision of airports in The
Bahamas and for matters connected therewith. | 10 of 1976
8 of 1977
8 of 1978 |
[Assent 13th August,
1976]
[Commencement 7th October, 1976] |
1. This Act may be cited as the Airports Act. | Short title. |
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires- | Interpretation. |
"airfield"
means any area of land designed, equipped, set apart or used for affording
facilities for the take-off and landing of aircraft used- |
(a) for private
purposes; or |
(b) for
non-scheduled journeys; |
"airport"
means a Government airport or a private airport; |
"Department"
means the Department of Civil Aviation: |
"Director"
means the Director of Civil Aviation; |
"Government
airport" means any of the airports specified for the time being in the
Schedule; |
"Minister"
means the Minister responsible for Civil Aviation; |
"private
airport" means any aerodrome which is licensed under section 61 of the
Colonial Air Navigation Order, 1961. |
3. The Minister shall have the general management and
control of every Government airport including the land, buildings, plant,
equipment and facilities thereof. | Management, etc., of airports. |
4. (1) The Minister may make regulations for the
management, control and supervision of airports and in particular may make
regulations- | Regulations. |
(a) securing
the safety of the public at or near airports from personal injury or from fire
or otherwise; |
(b) regulating
vehicular tragic on any airport and prescribing the conditions under which
vehicles may ply for hire at or on any Government airport; |
(c) prescribing
the limits within which the public may have access to any airport; |
(d) regulating
and restricting the admission of persons whether as passengers, or otherwise,
to any part of any airport; |
(e) securing
the safety or freedom from interference of any instrument or structure in which
any instrument is placed, in any airport; |
(f) with
respect of the issue of permits for all purposes relating to the use of a
Government airport or any part thereof, and conditions of issue of such permits
and conditions to be observed by the holders of such permits; |
(g) securing
the safety of aircraft and vehicles using any airport; |
(h) regulating
and restricting advertising within any airport; |
(i) prescribing
and regulating the payment and collection of fees for permits pursuant to any
regulations; |
(j) regulating
the parking of motor vehicles, and prescribing the charges to be paid in
respect of the parking of such vehicles at any Government airport; |
(k) providing
for the removal of motor vehicles parked at any Government airport in breach of
any regulations, at the expense and risk of the owners thereof; |
(l) annexing
to the contravention of or failure to comply with any regulations made under
this section of a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or to imprisonment
for a term not exceeding six months or both such fine and imprisonment. |
(2) Any person who
contravenes or fails to comply with any regulations made under this Act may be
removed or elected from the Government airport or the private airport, as the
case may be, by the Director, a peace officer or the owner of the private airport
or on their instructions and may, in addition to any punishment to which he is
liable for contravention of or failure to comply with such regulation, be
deprived of the further use of the Government airport or private airport and
its facilities for such time as in the opinion of the Director, peace officer
or owner of the private airport, may be necessary to ensure the safety of such
airport or the public. |
(3) Any person
who, being a person deprived of the use of any airport or its facilities
pursuant to subsection (2), comes upon that airport during the period in
respect of which he has been deprived of such use shall be guilty of an offence
and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars
or to imprisonment for six months or both such fine and imprisonment. |
5. (1) No person shall construct or commence to
construct any private airport or any airfield in The Bahamas without the prior
permission in writing of the Minister. | Construction of private airport or airfield. |
(2) Any person who
contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both such fine and
imprisonment. |
6. (1) No person shall operate, or permit the operation
on land occupied by him of any airfield which is not registered in accordance
with the following subsections of this section. | Registration of airfields. |
(2) Application
for the registration of an airfield under this section shall be made in writing
to the Director by or on behalf of the occupier of the land on which the same
is constructed and shall contain such particulars as may be prescribed, and the
application shall be accompanied by a survey plan of the airfield concerned. |
(3) Where an
application is made under subsection (2), the Minister may register the
airfield upon such terms and conditions as he may think fit to impose. |
7. Any officer of the Department authorised in writing
by the Minister or any peace officer may, at any hour of the day or night enter
upon, inspect and observe the operation of any registered airfield, and any
person who obstructs an officer of the Department or a peace officer in
exercise of his powers under this section shall be guilty of an offence and
liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both such fine and
imprisonment. | Entry on airfield. |
8. (1) The Minister may in writing at any time, subject
to the provisions of subsection (2) cancel any registration of an airfield in
any case where there is a breach of any of the terms and conditions subject to
which the registration was granted. | Cancellation of registration. |
(2) Prior to the
cancellation of a registration under subsection (1), the Minister shall in
writing inform the occupier of the registered airfield of the grounds on which
he considers that the registration ought to be cancelled and require the
occupier to show cause within a specified time why the registration should not
be cancelled; and if either the occupier fails to comply with that requirement
within the time specified or the cause shown is inadequate in the opinion of
the Minister, the Minister may cancel such registration. |
9. The Director shall maintain a register of all
airfields registered under this Act and there shall be entered therein the
particulars required in respect of each such airfield; and such register shall
be open to inspection by any member of the public at all reasonable times at
the offices of the Department. | Duty of Director to maintain register. |
10. The Minister may make such charges as he thinks
fit in respect of the following- | Charges by Minister. |
(a) the
rendering of any services; |
(b) the
provision of any facilities; |
|
(d) the rent of
any building or part thereof; |
(e) the
granting of any concessions at any Government airport. |
11. The Minister may by order vary the Schedule by
adding thereto or otherwise amending the Schedule. | Amendment of Schedule. |
12. Any person who- | Offences. |
(a) being the
owner or occupier of land operates it or permits its operation as an
unregistered airfield; or |
(b) being the
occupier of a registered airfield operates it or knowingly permits its
operation for an unlawful purpose; or |
(c) being the
pilot of an aircraft lands otherwise than in an emergency or takes off at an
unregistered airfield, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary
conviction to a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both such fine and
imprisonment. |
13. (1) A helicopter shall not take off or land at a
place in The Bahamas other than an airfield or airport except with the written
permission of the Minister and subject to such conditions and restrictions (if
any) as the Minister may think fit to impose. | Helicopters. |
(2) Any person who
contravenes the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and
liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred
dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such
fine and imprisonment. |
SCHEDULE (Section 2, 11) |
AIRPORTS |
|
Nassau International Airport
|
New Providence
|
|
Oakes Field
|
New Providence
|
|
George Town
|
Exuma
|
|
Marsh Harbour
|
Abaco
|
|
Treasure Cay
|
Abaco
|
|
Northern Eleuthera
|
Eleuthera
|
|
South Bimini
|
South Bimini
|
|
Deadman's Cay
|
Long Island
|
|
New Bight
|
Cat Island
|
|
Arthur's Town
|
Cat Island
|
|
Congo Town
|
Andros
|
|
Clarence A. Bain
|
Andros
|
|
Crooked Island
|
Crooked Island
|
|
Great Inagua
|
Great Inagua
|
|
Ragged Island
|
Ragged Island
|
|
San Salvador
|
San Salvador
|
|