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15 1988

AIR NAVIGATION AND TRANSPORT ACT, 1988

PART II

Provisions to promote security and safety of civil aviation and other provisions in relation to aerodromes and aircraft

Application of Part II .

5. —This Part applies to aerodromes other than aerodromes under the control of the Minister for Defence.

Security and safety at aerodromes.

6. —It shall be the duty of—

(a) every person owning or operating an aerodrome, and

(b) every person carrying on business at an aerodrome,

to comply with the requirements (including any requirements in relation to that aerodrome, or to aerodromes in general, specified by the Minister in a direction under section 7 or in a licence or authorisation granted by him under the Acts) of public order and security and of the security and safety of the aerodrome and of the security and safety of persons and aircraft using that aerodrome.

Directions by Minister in relation to security and safety of aerodromes.

7. —The Minister may, whenever he is satisfied that the interests of the State or of the public so require, give directions to any person who owns or operates an aerodrome as to the standards of security and safety which must be complied with in relation to that aerodrome and it shall be the duty of every such person to comply with such directions.

Duty of operator of aerodrome to report to Minister.

8. —(1) It shall be the duty of every operator of an aerodrome to furnish to the Minister a report, in such form and within such time and at such intervals as the Minister may specify in writing, of all measures taken by him to comply with a direction of the Minister pursuant to section 7 .

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), a report to the Minister under that subsection shall include particulars of—

(a) the precise steps taken by the operator to implement the direction, and

(b) any alterations to, or discontinuance of, the standards of security or safety specified in the direction which have been, or are proposed to be, made.

(3) A person who—

(a) refuses, or without reasonable cause fails, to make a report to the Minister, or

(b) makes, in any such report, a statement which he knows to be false in a material particular, or

(c) recklessly makes, in any such report, a statement which is false in a material particular,

shall be guilty of an offence.

Extension of power of Minister to revoke, cancel or suspend licence or authorisation.

9. —(1) Any power conferred on the Minister under the Acts to revoke, cancel or suspend a licence or authorisation granted thereunder shall be deemed to include the power, if it appears to him that the holder of a licence or authorisation, as the case may be, cannot or will not comply with any security or safety requirements specified by the Minister in the interests of public order or security or safety in the licence or authorisation or in a direction under section 7 , to—

(a) revoke or cancel the licence or authorisation, as the case may be, or

(b) suspend the licence or authorisation, as the case may be, until such time as the holder of the licence or authorisation has complied with any security or safety requirements so specified.

(2) Whenever the Minister exercises the power conferred on him by subsection (1), the revocation or, as the case may be, suspension or cancellation, shall take effect from the date on which the Minister notifies the holder of the licence or authorisation of the revocation or, as the case may be, suspension or cancellation, or from such later date as the Minister, having regard to all the circumstances, may specify.

(3) On the commencement of this Act, the Minister shall, by notice in writing, notify the holders of all licences or authorisations granted by him and then in force of his powers under this section.

Power of Minister to prohibit landing at, or departure from, aerodrome in certain conditions.

10. —(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Minister may, if he is satisfied that it is in the interests of public order or security or safety so to do, or that the licence or authorisation granted under the Acts in relation to an aerodrome is deemed to have been revoked pursuant to section 11 (3), by notice in writing, prohibit the landing of aircraft at, or the departure of aircraft from, an aerodrome either from the date of the notice or from such later date as the Minister, having regard to all the circumstances, may specify in the notice.

(2) The Minister shall not exercise the power conferred on him by subsection (1) unless he is satisfied that the holder of the licence or authorisation granted under the Acts in relation to the aerodrome cannot or will not comply with requirements of the Minister under section 7 , or that such licence or authorisation is deemed to have been revoked pursuant to section 11 (3), as the case may be.

Obligation to effect insurance in relation to aerodromes.

11. —(1) A person shall not operate, or cause or permit any other person to operate, an aerodrome unless there is a policy of insurance in force in relation to that aerodrome.

(2) A policy of insurance shall be of no effect for the purposes of subsection (1) unless and until—

(a) there has been issued by the insurer to the insured a certificate in relation to the policy of insurance in such form and containing such particulars as the Minister may prescribe by Regulations under this section, and

(b) the insured has sent, or caused to be sent, to the Minister a copy of such certificate.

(3) If the policy of insurance at any time or for any reason ceases to have effect, any licence or authorisation granted under the Acts in respect of the aerodrome to which the policy of insurance relates shall thereupon be deemed to have been revoked.

(4) A licence or authorisation shall not be granted under the Acts in relation to the operation of an aerodrome in any period for which a policy of insurance is not in force in respect of that aerodrome.

(5) In this section “policy of insurance” means a policy which insures the owner or occupier, as the case may be, of an aerodrome against liability in respect of loss and damage caused to any person or property at that aerodrome and which complies with such conditions (if any) as the Minister may prescribe by Regulations under this section.

(6) This section shall come into operation on the expiry of one month after the commencement of this Act.

Possession of certain dangerous articles in aerodromes.

12. —(1) This section applies to the following articles, that is to say—

(a) a firearm, or any article having the appearance of a firearm, whether capable of being discharged or not;

(b) an explosive, or any article manufactured or adapted so as to have the appearance of being an explosive, whether it is capable of producing a practical effect by explosion or not;

(c) any article marked or labelled so as to indicate that it is, or it contains, an explosive;

(d) any article which does not fall within the meaning of paragraph (a), (b) or (c) and which is made or is adapted for use for causing injury to or incapacitating a person, or for damaging or destroying property, or which is intended by the person in whose possession it is for such use, whether by himself or, as the case may be, by some other person.

(2) A person shall not, without lawful authority (the proof of which shall lie on him), have in his possession in or bring or cause to be brought into—

(a) any part of an aerodrome, or

(b) any air navigation installation which does not form part of an aerodrome,

an article to which this section applies.

Directions by Minister in relation to security and safety of aircraft.

13. —(1) The Minister may, whenever he is satisfied that the interests of the State or of the public so require, give to the operator of any aircraft (other than a State aircraft) directions as to the standards of security and safety which must be complied with—

(a) wherever the aircraft may be, if the aircraft is registered in the State, or

(b) whenever the aircraft is in, or is in flight into, or out of, or over, the State, if the aircraft is not so registered,

and it shall be the duty of every such operator to comply with such directions.

(2) A direction pursuant to subsection (1) may relate to a particular aircraft or to aircraft of a particular class or description.

Duty of operator of aircraft to report to Minister.

14. —(1) It shall be the duty of every operator of an aircraft (other than a State aircraft) to furnish to the Minister a report, in such form and within such time and at such intervals as the Minister may specify in writing, of all measures taken by him to comply with a direction of the Minister pursuant to section 13 .

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), a report to the Minister under that subsection shall include particulars of—

(a) the precise steps taken by the operator to implement the direction, and

(b) any alterations to, or discontinuance of, the standards of security or safety specified in the direction which have been, or are proposed to be, made.

(3) A person who—

(a) refuses, or without reasonable cause fails, to make a report to the Minister, or

(b) makes, in any such report, a statement which he knows to be false in a material particular, or

(c) recklessly makes, in any such report, a statement which is false in a material particular,

shall be guilty of an offence.

Extension of power of Minister to refuse or cancel registration of aircraft.

15. —(1) Any power conferred on the Minister under the Acts to refuse or cancel the registration of an aircraft shall include the power, if it appears to him that an aircraft does not, or has ceased to, comply with any security or safety requirements specified by the Minister in a direction under section 13 , to refuse or to cancel the registration of that aircraft.

(2) Whenever the Minister exercises the power conferred on him by subsection (1), the cancellation of the registration of the aircraft shall take effect from the date on which the Minister notifies the operator of the aircraft of the cancellation or from such later date as the Minister, having regard to all the circumstances, may specify.

(3) On the commencement of this Act, the Minister shall notify each owner and operator of each aircraft then registered in the State of his powers under this section.

Detention or restriction of use of aircraft.

16. —(1) The Minister may, where the interests of the State or the public so require, direct the detention or the restriction of the use in such manner as he may specify of—

(a) any aircraft (other than a State aircraft) registered in the State, wherever that aircraft may be, or

(b) any other aircraft in the State,

if in the opinion of the Minister such aircraft does not comply with the standards of security or safety specified by him in a direction under section 13 or that the operation of such aircraft does not comply with such provisions of section 17 as may be applicable to such aircraft.

(2) The detention, or restriction of the use, of an aircraft pursuant to subsection (1) shall continue for such time and be subject to such conditions as the Minister considers appropriate (having regard to all the circumstances) and specifies to the operator of the aircraft.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2), conditions specified under that subsection may, in particular, require—

(a) the inspection and search of the aircraft concerned or of persons or property to be taken on board the aircraft, or

(b) the modification or alteration of the aircraft or of any apparatus or equipment installed therein, or

(c) the installation in the aircraft of additional apparatus or equipment.

Obligation of owners or operators of aircraft in relation to liability for loss or damage arising from operation of aircraft.

17. —(1) The Minister may by order provide that it shall not be lawful for any person to operate, or cause or permit any other person to operate, an aircraft (other than a State aircraft) in, in flight into, or out of, or over the State unless—

(a) there is in force, in accordance with subsection (2), a policy of insurance against liability arising in relation to any such operation of the aircraft, or

(b) the owner or, as the case may be, the operator of the aircraft can prove to the satisfaction of the Minister, in accordance with subsection (3), that he can provide for liability arising in relation to any such operation,

in respect of loss or damage to

(i) any person or property on the aircraft, or

(ii) any person or property on or over land or water in the State,

caused or occasioned or contributed to by the aircraft in flight, taking off or landing, or

(iii) any person or property on land or water in the State caused or occasioned or contributed to by any person, article, object or thing falling or descending from the aircraft in flight, taking off or landing.

(2) (a) A policy of insurance shall be of no effect for the purposes of subsection (1) unless and until—

(i) it complies with such conditions as the Minister may prescribe by Regulations under this section, and

(ii) there has been issued by the insurer to the insured a certificate in relation to the policy of insurance in such form and containing such particulars as the Minister may prescribe by Regulations under this section.

(b) The Minister may require a copy of the certificate of insurance required under paragraph (a) to be produced to him.

(3) Where there is not in force a policy of insurance in accordance with subsection (2), the ability or otherwise of the owner or, as the case may be, the operator of the aircraft to provide for any liability specified in subsection (1) shall be determined by reference to such criteria as the Minister may prescribe by Regulations under this section.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of subsections (2) and (3), Regulations under this section may prescribe different forms or different particulars or different conditions or different criteria in relation to different classes of aircraft or in relation to the same class of aircraft in different circumstances.

(5) Regulations under this section may contain such incidental, supplementary and consequential provisions as the Minister may consider necessary or desirable for giving effect to this section.

Inspection of aerodromes, aircraft, etc., for purposes of this Part.

18. —(1) An authorised person shall, for the purpose of enabling the Minister to—

(a) ascertain whether any security or safety standards specified by him in relation to an aerodrome or an aircraft are being, or have been, complied with, and

(b) determine whether to give a direction under this Part to any person, and

(c) ascertain whether any direction under this Part is being, or has been, complied with,

have power to do all or any of the following things:—

(i) enter any aerodrome and inspect the aerodrome and any apparatus, equipment or other thing therein;

(ii) enter any aircraft at any aerodrome and inspect any apparatus, equipment or other thing therein or thereon;

(iii) require the operator of the aerodrome or, as the case may be, of the aircraft concerned to furnish within such time as the authorised person may specify such information as he considers necessary for the purposes of the inspection referred to in paragraph (i) or (ii);

(iv) restrict the operation of the aerodrome, or detain any aircraft, during such time as is required for the exercise of his powers under this section.

(2) Any person who—

(a) obstructs or impedes an authorised person in the exercise of his powers under this section, or

(b) assaults an authorised person in the exercise of his powers under this section, or

(c) refuses, or without reasonable excuse fails, to furnish to an authorised person information which he requires for the exercise of his powers, or

(d) makes a statement to an authorised person which he knows to be false in a material particular, or

(e) recklessly makes a statement to an authorised person which is false in a material particular,

shall be guilty of an offence.

(3) In this section “authorised person” means—

(a) any person, or any person belonging to a class of persons, authorised in writing by the Minister to exercise the powers conferred on an authorised person under this section, or

(b) a member of the Garda Síochána.

(4) The powers conferred by this section on an authorised person to enter an aircraft shall not be exercisable by such authorised person in relation to any aircraft which is a State aircraft.

Possession of certain dangerous articles in aircraft.

19. —(1) This section applies to the following articles, that is to say—

(a) a firearm, or any article having the appearance of a firearm, whether capable of being discharged or not;

(b) an explosive, or any article manufactured or adapted so as to have the appearance of being an explosive, whether it is capable of producing a practical effect by explosion or not;

(c) any article marked or labelled so as to indicate that it is, or it contains, an explosive;

(d) any article which does not fall within the meaning of paragraph (a), (b) or (c) and which is made or is adapted for use for causing injury to or incapacitating a person, or for damaging or destroying property, or which is intended by the person in whose possession it is for such use, whether by himself or, as the case may be, by some other person.

(2) A person shall not, without lawful authority (the proof of which shall lie on him), have in his possession in or bring or cause to be brought into—

(a) any aircraft registered in the State, wherever that aircraft may be, or

(b) any other aircraft when it is in, or in flight over, the State,

an article to which this section applies.

Indemnity against proceedings.

20. —Notwithstanding anything contained in any contract, a person shall not be liable in any action for damages in the State in respect of anything done or not done by such person, or by some other person on his behalf, if such thing is done or, as the case may be, not done, in compliance with a direction of the Minister under this Part.

Hearing of proceedings in relation to exercise by Minister of power under this Part.

21. —In any proceedings which relate to the exercise by the Minister of any power conferred on him by this Part, the Court may, on the application of the Minister, if it is satisfied that it is in the interests of public order or security so to do, order that the whole of the proceedings, or such part thereof as the Court considers appropriate, be heard otherwise than in public.

Control of aircraft, aerodromes, etc., by Minister for duration of emergency.

22. —The Minister may, in the interests of the State or of the public, during any emergency, give directions as to the use, or possession, of—

(a) any aircraft or aerodrome, or

(b) any facilities at an aerodrome,

and every direction given by the Minister under this section shall—

(i) continue in force until the expiration of the period specified therein or the Minister declares that the emergency to which the direction relates has ceased, whichever is the sooner, and

(ii) be complied with by the person to whom it is directed.

Restriction on dumping near aerodromes.

23. —(1) The Minister, after consultation with the Minister for the Environment, may, if, in his opinion, it is in the interests of ensuring the safety of aircraft or the safe and efficient navigation thereof, by order prohibit or regulate the use of any land, which is situate in the vicinity of an aerodrome or which lies under an airpath, as a refuse tip or for any other purpose which is likely to attract a large number of birds into the area.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), an order under this section may, in particular, require the immediate closure or modification of any refuse tip which, in the opinion of the Minister,—

(a) is a danger to aircraft so long as it remains open, or

(b) is managed in an inefficient or dangerous manner,

and may provide that such categories of refuse as may be specified in the order shall not be dumped in the tip.

(3) The Minister, after consultation with the Minister for the Environment, may revoke or amend an order under this section.

Amendment of section 60 of Principal Act.

24. —Section 60 (which relates to the investigation of accidents) of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion after subsection (1) of the following subsection:

“(1A) In this section ‘accident’ includes any event or circumstance likely to threaten the safety of an aircraft or any person.”.

Amendment of section 15 of Act of 1950.

25. —Section 15 (which relates to definitions for the purposes of Part V of that Act) of the Act of 1950 is hereby amended by the substitution in subsection (1) for—

(a) the definition of “authorised officer” of the following definition:

“the expression ‘authorised officer’ means a person being—

(a) a member of the Garda Síochána, or

(b) any person, or any person belonging to a class of persons, authorised in writing by the Minister to exercise the powers conferred on authorised officers by section 20 of this Act;”,

and

(b) the definition of “State aerodrome” of the following definition:

“the expression ‘State aerodrome’ means, as the case may require, Cork Airport, Dublin Airport or Shannon Airport.”.

Amendment of section 16 of Act of 1950.

26. —Section 16 (which relates to bye-laws in relation to State aerodromes) of the Act of 1950 is hereby amended—

(a) by the insertion in subsection (3) after paragraph (d) of the following paragraphs:

“(e) fixing of an immobilisation device to any vehicle which has been unlawfully parked in any place while the vehicle is in that place or is in any other place to which it has been moved in accordance with the bye-laws,

(f) removing, storing and disposal of vehicles unlawfully parked in any place.”,

and

(b) by the insertion after subsection (7) of the following subsection:

“(8) Every bye-law made under this section on or after the commencement of the Air Navigation and Transport Act, 1988, shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the bye-law is passed by either such House within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the bye-law is laid before it, the bye-law shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.”.

Extension of sections 16 to 20 of Act of 1950 to non-State aerodromes.

27. —Sections 16 to 20 of the Act of 1950 (as amended by this Act) shall apply to all aerodromes in the State whether such aerodromes are State aerodromes within the meaning of section 15 of that Act (as amended by this Act) or not and references in those sections to a “State aerodrome” shall be construed accordingly.

Increase in penalties for certain offences.

28. —(1) A person who is guilty of an offence under—

(a) section 5 (4), 39 (2), 56 (1), 60 (4) or 66 (3) of the Principal Act, or

(b) section 13 (3) of the Act of 1946, or

(c) section 13 (as amended by this Act) of the Customs-free Airport Act, 1947 , or

(d) section 13 (1), 13 (2), 14 (7), 16 (6), 17 (2) or 21 of the Act of 1950, or

(e) section 15 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act, 1973 , or

(f) section 4 (7) of the Air Navigation and Transport Act, 1975 ,

shall, in lieu of the penalty prescribed by the section concerned, be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £50,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(2) A person who is guilty of an offence under Article 24 of the Air Navigation (Aerodromes and Visual Ground Aids) Order, 1970 (S.I. No. 291 of 1970), shall, in lieu of the penalty prescribed by that Article, be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £50,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(3) A person who is guilty of an offence under Regulation 9 of the European Communities (Restriction of Aeroplane Operations) Regulations, 1984 (S.I. No. 14 of 1984), shall, in lieu of the penalty prescribed by that Regulation, be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £50,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(4) Section 13 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1967 , shall apply in relation to an offence to which subsection (1), (2) or (3) relates as if, in lieu of the penalties provided for in subsection (3) of that section, there were specified the penalties provided for in subsections (1), (2) and (3), and the reference in subsection (2) (a) of that section to the penalties provided for in the said subsection (3) shall be construed and have effect accordingly.

(5) Where an offence to which subsection (1), (2) or (3) relates is committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of any person (or any person acting on his behalf) being a director, manager or secretary of such body, that person or the person so acting, as the case may be, shall also be guilty of the offence.

(6) A summary prosecution for an offence under any enactment referred to in subsection (1), (2) or (3) may be brought by the Minister.

Offences and penalties ( Parts II , IV and V ).

29. —(1) A person who contravenes section 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 19 , 22 , 23 or 32 shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £50,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(2) A person who is convicted of an offence under section 8 , 14 , 18 , 33 , 41 , 42 or 43 shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment, or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding £50,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or, at the discretion of the Court, to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(3) Section 13 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1967 , shall apply in relation to an offence specified in subsection (1) or (2) as if, in lieu of the penalties provided for in subsection (3) of that section, there were specified the penalties provided for in subsections (1) and (2), and the reference in subsection (2) (a) of that section to the penalties provided for in the said subsection (3) shall be construed and have effect accordingly.

(4) Where an offence specified in subsection (1) or (2) is committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of any person (or any person acting on his behalf) being a director, manager or secretary of such body, that person or the person so acting, as the case may be, shall also be guilty of the offence.

(5) A summary prosecution for an offence specified in subsection (1) or (2) may be brought by the Minister.

Exchequer grants or other payments in relation to construction, etc., of aerodromes in State.

30. —(1) The Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may attach to any grant or other payment made out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas in relation to the construction of an aerodrome such terms and conditions as to repayment or otherwise as he thinks reasonable and proper.

(2) Whenever there is a contravention of a term or condition attached to any grant or other payment to which subsection (1) refers, the amount outstanding on foot of the grant or payment, as the case may be, shall thereupon, notwithstanding any term or condition relating to repayment attached thereto, be repayable to the Minister for the benefit of the Exchequer and, in default of such repayment, the amount outstanding may be recovered by the Minister as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Amendment of section 8 of Act of 1950.

31. —Section 8 (which relates to entry on land, etc., compulsorily acquired under the Principal Act before conveyance or ascertainment of compensation) of the Act of 1950 is hereby amended by the substitution for paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of the following paragraph:

“(a) subject to paragraph (b) of this subsection, the Minister shall pay to the person, who is the occupier of that land or the owner of that water right, interest on the amount of the compensation payable to such person at such rate as the Minister for Finance may, from time to time, determine from the date on which such power was exercised until payment of such compensation,”.

Detention and sale of aircraft for unpaid aerodrome charges.

32. —(1) Where default is made in the payment of aerodrome charges incurrred in respect of any aircraft, the Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned, as the case may be, may, subject to the provisions of this section—

(a) detain, pending payment of such charges, either—

(i) the aircraft in respect of which the charges were incurred (whether or not they were incurred by the person who is the operator of the aircraft at the time when the detention commences), or

(ii) any other aircraft of which the person in default is the operator at the time when the detention commences, and

(b) if the charges are not paid within 56 days of the date when the detention commences, sell the aircraft in order to satisfy the charges.

(2) The Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned, as the case may be, shall not detain, or continue to detain, an aircraft under this section by reason of any alleged default in the payment of aerodrome charges if the operator of the aircraft or any other person claiming an interest therein—

(a) disputes that the charges, or any of them, are due, or

(b) if the aircraft is detained under subsection (1) (a) (i), disputes that the charges in question were incurred in respect of that aircraft,

and the operator of the aircraft or any such other person, gives to the Minister or the aerodrome authority, as the case may be, pending the determination of the dispute, sufficient security for the payment of the charges which are alleged to be due.

(3) The Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned, as the case may be, shall not sell an aircraft under this section without the leave of the Court and the Court shall not give such leave unless it is established that—

(a) a sum is due to the Minister or to such aerodrome authority, as the case may be, for aerodrome charges,

(b) default has been made in the payment thereof, and

(c) the aircraft which the Minister or such aerodrome authority, as the case may be, seeks leave to sell is liable to sale under this section by reason of such default.

(4) The Minister or the aerodrome authority, as the case may be, proposing to apply for leave to sell an aircraft under this section shall take such steps as may be practicable for—

(a) bringing the proposed application to the notice of persons whose interests may be affected by the determination of the Court thereon, and

(b) affording to any such person an opportunity of becoming a party to the proceedings on the application,

and, if leave to sell the aircraft is granted by the Court, the Minister or the aerodrome authority, as the case may be, shall secure that the aircraft is sold for the best price that can reasonably be obtained.

(5) Failure by the Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned to comply with any requirement of subsection (4) in respect of any sale, while actionable as against the Minister or such aerodrome authority concerned at the suit of any person suffering loss in consequence thereof, shall not, after the sale has taken place, be a ground for impugning the validity of such sale.

(6) The proceeds of any sale under this section shall be applied as follows, and in the following order, that is to say—

(a) in payment of any duty (whether of customs or excise) or value-added tax chargeable on imported goods or on the aircraft itself which is due as a consequence of the aircraft's having been brought into the State;

(b) in payment of the expenses incurred by the Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned, as the case may be, in detaining, keeping and selling the aircraft (including the expenses in connection with any application to the Court under subsection (3));

(c) in payment of the aerodrome charges which the Court has found to be due; and

the surplus, if any, of such proceeds shall be paid to, or among, the person or persons whose interests in the aircraft have been divested by reason of the sale.

(7) The power of detention and sale conferred by this section in respect of an aircraft shall extend to the equipment of the aircraft and any stores for use in connection with the operation of the aircraft (being equipment and stores carried in the aircraft) whether or not such equipment or stores are the property of the person who is the operator of the aircraft, and references to the aircraft in subsections (2) to (6) include, except where the context otherwise requires, references to any such equipment and stores.

(8) The power of detention conferred by this section in respect of an aircraft shall extend to any aircraft documents carried in the aircraft, and any such documents may, if the aircraft is sold under this section, be transferred by the Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned, as the case may be, to the purchaser of the aircraft.

(9) The power conferred by this section to detain an aircraft in respect of which charges have been incurrred may be exercised on the occasion on which the charges have been incurred, or on any subsequent occasion, when the aircraft is on the aerodrome on which those charges were incurred, or on any other aerodrome owned or managed by the Minister or the aerodrome authority concerned, as the case may be.

(10) Nothing in this section shall prejudice any right of the Minister or an aerodrome authority to recover any charges, or any part thereof, by action.

(11) In this section—

aerodrome authority”, in relation to any aerodrome, means the person owning or managing it;

aerodrome charges” means charges payable to the Minister or an aerodrome authority for the use of, or for services provided at, an aerodrome and includes, in relation to the Minister, charges payable for air navigation services by virtue of Regulations under section 12 of the Act of 1963;

aircraft documents”, in relation to any aircraft, means any certificate of registration, maintenance or airworthiness of that aircraft, any log book relating to the use of that aircraft or its equipment and any similar document and includes any record required to be made by virtue of Regulations under section 12 of the Act of 1963.

Powers of authorised officers at aerodromes.

33. —(1) An authorised officer, in the interest of the proper operation, or the security or safety, of an aerodrome, or the security or safety of persons, aircraft or other property thereon, may do all or any of the following things—

(a) stop, detain for such time as is reasonably necessary for the exercise of any of his powers under this section, and search any person or vehicle on an aerodrome;

(b) require any person on an aerodrome to—

(i) give his name and address and to produce other evidence of his identity;

(ii) state the purpose of his being on the aerodrome;

(iii) account for any baggage or other property which may be in his possession;

(c) order any person

(i) who refuses to give his name or address, or to produce other evidence of his identity, or

(ii) who refuses to state the purpose of his being on the aerodrome, or

(iii) who refuses to account for any baggage or other property in his possession, or

(iv) who gives a name or address or states a purpose of his being on the aerodrome which is known, or is reasonably suspected, by the authorised officer to be false or fictitious, or

(v) whom he knows not to have, or whom he reasonably suspects of not having, a lawful reason for being on the aerodrome,

to leave the aerodrome, or any part thereof, or he may remove such person from the aerodrome, or any part thereof, or he may arrest that person without warrant,

(d) arrest without warrant any person—

(i) who assaults, or whom he reasonably suspects to have assaulted, another person on an aerodrome, or

(ii) whom he knows to have, or whom he reasonably suspects of having contravened section 12 or 19 , or

(iii) whom he knows to have, or reasonably suspects of having, a stolen article in his possession.

(2) Where an authorised officer, who is not a member of the Garda Síochána, arrests a person under this section, he shall, forthwith, deliver such person into the custody of a member of the Garda Síochána to be dealt with in accordance with law.

(3) Where an authorised officer arrests a person pursuant to the powers conferred on him by subsection (1) (d) (iii), he may retain in his possession any article which he knows to have been, or reasonably suspects of having been, stolen until it has been established whether or not the article was stolen.

(4) A person who was ordered by an authorised officer to leave an aerodrome or part of an aerodrome, or who was removed from an aerodrome or part of an aerodrome by an authorised officer, shall not, on the same day, without the permission of an authorised officer, return to the aerodrome or the part of the aerodrome which he was ordered to leave, or from which he was removed, as the case may be.

(5) Any person who obstructs or impedes an authorised officer in the exercise of any of the powers conferred on him by this section, or who fails to comply with any lawful requirement of an authorised officer under this section, shall be guilty of an offence.

(6) In this section, “authorised officer” has the same meaning as in section 15 of the Act of 1950 (as amended by this Act).