§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Secretary of State for Trade what, expressed in £ sterling, is the current limit of liability for (a) passengers and (b) air freight on scheduled United Kingdom internal flights; whether he is satisfied that the limits fixed by him pursuant to the Carriage by Air Act are still appropriate; and when he intends to raise these limits.
§ Mr. EyreThe current limit of liability for passengers and air freight on scheduled United Kingdom internal flights is determined by the Carriage by Air Act (Application of Provisions) Order 1967, as amended by the Carriage by Air Act (Application of Provisions) (Second Amendment) Order 1979. For passengers the limit is 58,000 special drawing rights—about £33,000—and for freight 17 special drawing rights—about £9.60—per kilogramme.
The Civil Aviation Authority has recently published a proposal to revise the limit followed by United Kingdom airlines in respect of the international carriage of passengers from US $58,000—about £25,000—to 100,000 special drawing rights—about £56,000. When consultations have been completed, consideration will be given to the possibility of bringing the current domestic limit into line with what is expected to be a higher limit for international carriage.