FORMER GOVERNMENT MINISTER Ronald Toppin is not letting up pressure on the current administration over the 2010 negative aviation safety rating.
The Opposition MP for St Michael North is upset that the Government has not yet taken all the necessary corrective action to qualify for removal from Category 2 status set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
During yesterday’s House of Assembly debate on the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Bill, 2016, Toppin, who once had responsibility for tourism and international transport, said he would not imply that attaining Category 1 status was easy, but said prior to 2008 a lot of work was done to move the country into the top tier.
He said it was not acceptable that Barbados’ aviation standard was no better off today than eight years ago in terms of its oversight.
“In seven of the eight critical areas in July 2010, Barbados failed and even if today, as a result of regulations laid last week, we say we satisfy the second requirement in terms of regulations, we are still falling short in respect of six and therefore are not any better today, some six years after an FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] audit was done. That is unsatisfactory,” he said.
He added that a legal department might also have to be established in the Civil Aviation Authority to keep abreast of constant changes to ICAO regulations. (WILLCOMM)