The Civil Aviation (Route Charges for Navigation Services) (Second Amendment) Regulations 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Civil Aviation (Route Charges for Navigation Services) Regulations 1995 (“the Principal Regulations”) as follows:

Regulation 5(3) of the Principal Regulations is amended to provide that if the amount of the charge payable under regulation 4(1) of the Principal Regulations is not paid in cleared funds by the operator of the aircraft within 30 days of the date payment is demanded by Eurocontrol, interest shall be paid from that day until the date when cleared funds are received by Eurocontrol (regulation 2(a)).

In regulation 5(4) of the Principal Regulations the rate of interest is reduced from 8.69% to 7.27% (regulation 2(b)).

Regulation 8 of the Principal Regulations is amended to provide for the establishment of the average monthly rate of exchange of the ECU to a national currency by Eurocontrol (regulation 2(c)).

A new regulation is introduced requiring the manager of every aerodrome to which section 88 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 applies together with Belfast International Airport, Belfast City Airport and City of Derry Airport to keep an aircraft movement log which records particulars of the type and registration mark of each aircraft taking off from or landing at the aerodrome, the date and time of each such take off and landing and the origin or destination of each aircraft. The log has to be preserved for a period of 2 years after the date of the last entry and has to be capable of being reproduced in a legible form (regulation 2(d)).

New unit rates and transatlantic charges are introduced, reflecting forecasts of costs and traffic for 1997 and taking into account the balance of over and under recoveries of revenue as compared with costs experienced by the countries participating in the Eurocontrol charging system in 1995. Italy, Slovakia and Sweden became participating States in the Eurocontrol charging system from 1st January 1997 (regulations 2(e) and (f)).

The unit rates in ECUs set out in Schedule 2 to the Principal Regulations and the amount of the charges in ECUs set out in Schedule 3 to the Principal Regulations (for transatlantic flights) are calculated by reference to the costs of provision of en-route navigation services in the participating countries in the Eurocontrol charges system, the amount of traffic using each country’s airspace and the relationship of each country’s currency to the ECU over a period agreed by Ministers of the participating countries. The interaction of these elements varies in each country. In calculating the revised charges the average of the exchange rates between the ECU and the currencies of the participating countries obtaining in the month of July 1996 have been used.

The unit rates for Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland have decreased on average by 6.1%. The unit rates for Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey have increased on average by 32.2% and for Portugal (Santa Maria) and Spain (Canaries) by 37.9%. The unit rate for the United Kingdom has decreased by 0.1%.

Amman, Gothenburg, Salzburg, Copenhagen and Lille have been added to certain zones in Schedule 3.

The United Kingdom Air Pilot and the foreign Aeronautical Information Publications referred to in the Regulations can be purchased from the Civil Aviation Authority, Greville House, 37 Gratton Road, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 2BN and can be inspected at major aerodromes in the United Kingdom.