Ministry of Transportation Issues New Executive Regulations for Civil Aviation

The Ministry of Transportation has achieved a milestone with the issuance of its Executive Regulations for the Civil Aviation Law by Ministerial Decree 21 for the Year 2013.

The new regulations, which were issued on 25 December 2013 and published in The Official Gazette Issue # 3138 dated January 9 2014, are part of the Ministry’s larger strategy of putting in place a holistic regulatory and legislative framework for all of the Ministry’s divisions.

The new regulations came into effect as of 10 January 2014 in accordance with the Second Article of the Ministerial Decree.

On the occasion of this important achievement, His Excellency Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Acting Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board, said “This step is an important step towards the implementation of the civil aviation regulations in the Kingdom, as this legal document is the executive tool by which Law #14 for the Year 2013, which established the new Civil Aviation Law can be implemented. The main features of this Law are the adoption of the highest aviation safety standards and civil aviation security levels, as well as passengers’ rights.

“This is the first time that legal mechanisms have been put in place to govern the relationship between passengers, aviation companies and the management of Bahrain International Airport. The Law is now clear on rights and obligations of passengers in cases of travel prohibitions by denied boarding and delays, loss of belongings, and a focus on services that should be provided to passengers during flight delays.”

The Executive Regulations cover rules and criteria for issuing licenses related to aviation activities, such as clear and specific requirements and processes for verifying applications, in the aim of facilitating the transaction for investors. This will further help the Civil Aviation Affairs authorities at the Ministry of Transportation to fulfill their role effectively as the regulator for the Kingdom’s civil aviation industry.

All technical regulations related to aviation, including flying licensing, issuance of registration certificates, pilots’ and other technical staff licenses, aircraft safety, and aviation and meteorology services are covered in the regulation as these are all considered aspects that are critical to the industry as a whole. “The issuance of this document marks a very positive signal to investors, partners and customers as they have a legal document by which everyone’s rights and responsibilities are clear. This will go a long way to further enhancing the aviation industry in the Kingdom“said His Excellency.