§ 84. Sir Knox Cunninghamasked the Minister of Aviation if he will take steps to ensure that rights of arrest of aircraft exercised by him at airports in the United Kingdom under his control are also given to those public bodies controlling the civil airports where he has relinquished control.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsMy only right to detain an aircraft for landing, housing and parking charges is a contractual right, and the public authorities who control airports are at liberty to create a similar right by a contract of their own. I have a statutory right to detain aircraft only for the statutory navigation service charges. No corresponding statutory 183W charges are levied by other public authorities at their aerodromes, except as the agent of my Ministry.
I have in mind legislation to confer on public authorities a statutory right to detain and sell aircraft in respect of which landing, parking and housing charges remain unpaid, not unlike the rights of harbour authorities under Section 44 of the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847.