The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Edna Molewa today 30 March 2012 published under the South African Weather Service Act, 2001 (Act No. 8 of 2001) the regulations regarding fees for the provision of aviation meteorological services in Gazette No. 35203. These fees will be effective on 1 April 2012.
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the South African Weather Service (SAWS) have successfully developed regulations which oblige the aviation industry to pay fees for the provision of aviation meteorological services provided by the SAWS.
On 19 April 2011, the DEA was advised by the Regulating Committee for Meteorological Services (RCMS) to promulgate the fees for the provision of aviation meteorological services as proposed by SAWS.
The proposed fees were published in Gazette No. 34229. As part of the consultation process, as mandated in terms of the Act, the tariff review process was thoroughly consulted with the aviation industry stakeholders, namely, the Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) and the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (BARSA). Both parties were in agreement with the proposed tariffs.
The Department of Transport was also informed of the proposed tariffs and no objections were received. No comments were received from the public either.
There are two categories of fees. In category 1, the provision of aviation meteorological services in respect of an aircraft with a maximum certified mass of 2000 kilograms and above, will be liable to pay the following fees for next coming three years as follows:
- 1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: R33.38
- 1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014: R34.87
- 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015: R35.93
- Fees are exclusive of value-added tax
However, aircrafts with a maximum certified mass of between 2000 – 4999 kilograms that operate exclusively under Visual Flight Rules are exempted from these fees and fall into the second category with a tariff currently set at zero. Further exemptions are for aircrafts engaged in search and rescue operations and coastal patrol flights of the South African Airforce.
As is customary, the tariffs will be reviewed on an annual basis to correct and adjust for any under- or over- recoveries.
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