KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Senate has approved the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act, 2026, legislation aimed at strengthening Jamaica’s aviation safety framework and ensuring the country remains fully compliant with international aviation standards.
The bill was passed without amendments during Friday’s sitting of the Upper House.
Piloting the legislation, Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon said the amendments are critical to enhancing aviation safety oversight, improving regulatory effectiveness and aligning Jamaica’s civil aviation laws with international obligations and best practices.
She said the legislation strengthens the legal framework for aviation safety oversight, updates provisions governing aircraft accident and incident investigations, and facilitates compliance with elements of the Chicago Convention related to leased, chartered and interchanged aircraft.
The amendments also support the implementation of modern aviation safety management principles and provide the legal authority for consequential changes to the Civil Aviation Regulations, 2012, and the Civil Aviation Air Transport Licensing Regulations, 1966.
“We are also updating the monetary penalties contained in the Act, which have remained unchanged for many years, to ensure they are proportionate to the seriousness of offences and support stronger regulatory compliance and enforcement in the interest of aviation safety and the flying public,” Morris Dixon told senators.
She emphasized that maintaining a robust and internationally recognized aviation oversight system is essential to Jamaica’s economy, particularly its tourism sector.
According to the minister, compliance with global aviation standards helps sustain the confidence of airlines, passengers, insurers, aircraft lessors, investors and international regulators in Jamaica as a safe and reliable aviation destination.
She noted that Jamaica welcomed 4.5 million visitors in 2024, including 2.9 million stopover visitors, generating approximately US$4.3 billion in tourism earnings.
“The stopover segment depends heavily on safe, reliable and expanding air access,” she said, warning that any decline in confidence in Jamaica’s aviation oversight system could affect airline route decisions, increase insurance and financing costs, and undermine investor and passenger confidence.
Morris Dixon said countries deemed non-compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) oversight standards could face sanctions, including a downgrade by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Category Two status. Such a move would prevent airlines operating under that country’s oversight from launching new services to the United States, expanding existing routes or entering new code-sharing agreements.
She added that the European Union could also impose operating restrictions or bans on non-compliant carriers.
“These are the kinds of consequences we are seeking to avoid because they would limit the growth of Jamaican operators and reduce Jamaica’s attractiveness for aviation investment and regional connectivity,” she said.
Among the key changes, the legislation significantly increases penalties for dangerous flying. Under Clause Seven, the maximum fine for operating an aircraft in a manner that causes or is likely to cause danger to people, property or other aircraft will increase from J$20,000 to J$5 million upon summary conviction. The maximum prison sentence of three years remains unchanged.
Clause Eight introduces a new offence for failing to comply with aircraft interception procedures and directions, establishing specific penalties for violations.
The legislation also modernizes the definitions of aviation accidents, serious incidents and incidents to align with Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention and clarifies that accident investigations are conducted solely to improve safety rather than determine liability.
A major feature of the amendments is the creation of an independent Accident Investigation Authority. Under Clauses 11 and 12, the authority will be established whenever a serious aviation accident or incident occurs within the Kingston Flight Information Region.
The body will have powers similar to those of a Commission of Inquiry, including the authority to regulate its proceedings and summon and examine witnesses.
