Cabinet approves ‘Carriage by Air’ Bill

By Mario Andree

Cabinet Ministers approved a proposal on Tuesday (20) to gazette the drafted ‘Carriage by Air’ Bill and submit it for parliamentary approval, in a bid to bring Sri Lanka up to international standards such as the Montreal Convention, which the country is a member of.

The Cabinet, during the previous regime, directed the ‘Carriage by Air’ Bill to be submitted to a Cabinet Sub-Committee for legislation recommendations.

Following the recommendations, the Bill was submitted to the Legal Draftsman and the final draft was submitted to the Attorney General for approval. On the request of Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva, Cabinet Ministers agreed to Gazette the draft Bill and submit it for debate and approval by Parliament.
The enactment of the Carriage by Air’ Bill will give effect to the Montreal Convention with 112 ratifying countries, which establishes the needed uniformity and predictability of rules relating to the international carriage of passengers, baggage and cargo.

The Montreal Convention protects the interest of passengers by introducing a modern two-tier liability system and facilitates a swift recovery of proven damage without the need for lengthy litigation.

Air Carriers also will benefit from reduced operational costs through electronically-produced and simplified documentation, and will be able to manage risks more effectively.