CAAi and ALG to support Belize aviation regulatory reform

Above: CAAi, ALG and Belize DCA representatives at a recent project meeting in Belize City.     
Courtesy CAAi

The seven-month project, which commenced earlier this year, sees CAAi providing specialist regulatory and legislative expertise to help lay the legal foundations for a new independent aviation regulator and the separation of service provision, in line with international best practice.
 
The programme is structured around three core components. As part of its role, CAAi is drafting the primary aviation legislation and supporting legal instruments, ensuring that the new legislative framework aligns with Government policies, enables the agreed institutional arrangements, and complies with ICAO requirements and international best practice. ALG is leading the project overall and is responsible for coordinating delivery across all workstreams. This includes benchmarking fees, charges and earning capacity, as well as the development of a local airport master plan. CAAi is supporting this work through targeted legal and policy input where it informs and strengthens the legislative drafting. 

CAAi began work on its legislative package in February with an initial review of Belize’s existing civil aviation legal and institutional framework, identifying gaps against ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. This work will inform the development of new primary aviation legislation and supporting legal instruments to establish an independent Civil Aviation Authority, enable the transfer of air navigation service provision to dedicated operators, and the creation of an independent Air Accident Investigation and Prevention Body in line with ICAO Annex 13.    
        
Belize has experienced rapid growth in tourism, with hotel capacity increasing by more than 35% over the past decade. This expansion is placing increasing pressure on the country’s aviation system, particularly at domestic aerodromes located close to key tourist destinations. In response, the Government of Belize is progressing reforms to ensure that the aviation regulatory and institutional framework is fit for purpose, scalable, and aligned with global best practice.
 
Basilio Briguglio, Senior Manager of International Development at CAAi, commented: “We are delighted to be working with ALG to support the development of the Belize aviation sector. With continued growth in passenger demand and a strong tourism outlook, our team looks forward to assisting our CAA counterparts in Belize to ensure that aviation systems keep pace with ICAO standards, supporting safety, resilience and global harmonisation as Belize positions itself for long term, sustainable growth.”