Oman’s CAA issues Regulation on Passengers with Disabilities and Special-Needs Passenger

Muscat: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued the Passenger Protection Rights Regulations.

Chapter III – Passengers with Disabilities and Special-Needs Passenger

Article (47)

The air carrier must be committed to announcing its policy and procedures regarding the carriage of passengers with disabilities and special-needs passengers on its website.

Article (48)

A passenger with disabilities and special-needs passengers must clearly disclose to the air carrier his condition and the necessary devices and equipment when creating the reservation.

Article (49)

The air carrier is prohibited from requiring a passenger with disabilities and special-needs passengers to sign any waivers of their rights or services due to them under the provisions of these regulations.

Article (50)

The air carrier is obliged to allow passengers with disabilities and special-needs passengers to carry the devices and equipment necessary for movement under the contract of carriage. If the passenger has service animals, he must obtain prior approval from the air carrier to carry the animal.

Article (51)

The air carrier is obligated to ensure that the devices and equipment that assist movement arrive with the disabled or special-needs passenger, and in the event of their damage or loss, they will be compensated for at the equivalent value.

Article (52)

The air carrier is obligated to secure a replacement seat immediately if the wheelchair does not arrive on the same flight and compensate the passenger in accordance with what is stipulated in Chapter Four of these regulations.

Article (53)

If the air carrier fails to fulfill its obligation to provide an alternative flight for a passenger with disabilities and special-needs passenger or fails to provide the necessary services stipulated in this chapter, the passenger shall be compensated with the equivalent of (200%) two hundred percent of the total value of the ticket.

Chapter IV – Baggage

Article (54)

The passenger has the right to carry baggage as stipulated in the contract of carriage in terms of the permitted number of bags, dimensions, and weights.

Article (55)

The passenger is obligated to disclose his valuable luggage before handing it over to the air carrier. If this luggage is lost or damaged after the air carrier has agreed to transport it, he will be compensated according to the value declared in the disclosure form.

Article (56)

The air carrier is obligated to register the passenger’s baggage according to the allowed number without any excess provided that the value of excess baggage whose freight value is calculated separately.

The air carrier must provide the passenger with the required registration and disclosure mechanisms, if exceptional baggage handling is required, such as oversized baggage.

Article (57)

If the checked baggage does not arrive within twenty-one (21) days of the date on which it should have arrived, the passenger has the right to claim that the baggage is treated by the air carrier as lost.

In the case of damage, the passenger must file a complaint to the carrier forthwith after the discovery of the damage, and, at the latest, within 24 hours from the time of the arrival at the destination or from the time on which the aircraft ought to have arrived.

The air carrier is obligated to compensate the passenger for each piece of registered baggage in accordance with Articles (60) and (61) of these regulations

Article (58)

The air carrier must deliver the passenger’s baggage if he is unable to travel after the check-in. In the event of delay, destruction, loss, or damage in re-delivery, the air carrier must compensate the passenger in accordance with Articles (60) and (61) of these regulations.

Article (59)

The passenger shall be entitled to compensation from the air carrier if his luggage is delayed in reaching the final destination, the equivalent of (148) one hundred and forty-eight Special Drawing Rights, when the baggage arrives later than the arrival time specified, for the first day.

The air carrier is obligated to compensate the passenger for any financial costs incurred by the passenger due to the delay of his baggage, with a maximum of (1288) one thousand two hundred and eighty-eight Special Drawing Rights.

Article (60)

The passenger shall be entitled to compensation from the air carrier in the event of damage, loss, or defect in his baggage, equivalent to (20) twenty Special Drawing Rights for each kilogram, with a maximum of (1288) one thousand two hundred and eighty-eight Special Drawing Rights for each piece of that baggage.

Article (61)

The air carrier is exempt from paying compensation if the passenger’s baggage is naturally perishable or requires special handling, and the passenger did not disclose this information.

The air carrier is also exempt from paying compensation if the carry-on baggage is lost or damaged unless the damage is caused by the air carrier’s fault.

Chapter V – Administrative Penalties

Article (62)

Without prejudice to the penalties stipulated in the Civil Aviation Law, violation of the provisions of these regulations shall be subject to the same penalties stipulated in Article (62) of the Civil Aviation Law.