Gov’t establishes new rules for airlines

The new by-law on civil liability for air carriers and operators revises the limits of liability in cases of damages resulting from death or bodily injury of passengers, among other amendments

The Executive Council approved the by-law which revises the system of civil liability for air carriers and operators yesterday.
The new rules are aimed at ‘putting Macau in line with international standards’, spokesperson of the Executive Council Leong Heng Teng said yesterday during a press conference.
This new by-law reviews the limits of liability of carriers for damages resulting from death or bodily injury of passengers, delay in the carriage of passengers and destruction, loss, damage or delay in transportation of baggage or cargo.
“Macau legislation was enacted in 2004 and it is outdated compared to the international convention inked by mainland China in 2005 and enacted in April 2006,” Leong said.
According to the international convention, these new rules must be revised every five years according to the inflation rate.
For instance, in 2009, the International Civil Aviation Organisation instructed the applicant countries to adjust the limits according to inflation to 13.1 percent. Leong stressed that currently most aircraft insurance policies operating in Macau contain liability coverage limits of MOP 1 million for bodily injury or death, but the international bodies have set standards that pushes the limit up to MOP 1.46 million.
“The drafting of the by-law ensures the safety and legal certainty of the system, and there will no more discrepancies between the limits of liability,” the spokesperson said.
The Executive council also approved two other by-laws yesterday, regarding health care vouchers and the loan scheme to small and medium size enterprises.
According to Leong, distribution of the health care vouchers will begin next month.
All permanent residents holding Macau ID valid until July 2012 are entitled to the vouchers, a total of 527,000 people. The government’s total investment in the policy amounts to MOP 306 million.
The interest subsidy on loan scheme to fund small and medium-sized enterprises will also be amended. To ‘better support SME’, Leong said, the government decided to include the acquisition of new equipment and machinery on the list of subsidised items.                                  

A.L.