in 2003, cabinet approved the promulgation of the air navigation (amendment) regulations 2003. cabinet based its decision on a submission by the minister for transport and civil aviation, josefa vosanibola, who said that new regulations were needed to cater for changes in the aviation industry. “the aviation industry has gone through rapid changes in the last few years to respond to the needs of the market,” mr vosanibola said. he said the services that were normally provided by a state authority had been divided up among various corporations to bring about efficiency in the industry. the minister said this division of responsibilities among profit making corporations required government to enact appropriate legislation to ensure that the safety of civil aviation was not compromised by commercial considerations. “the amendments also cover operational, safety and health issues arising from the acquisition of larger aircraft by air pacific,” he said. these included the manning of emergency doors on twin deck aircraft, and the need to ensure that the crew on these aircraft had adequate rest. mr vosanibola said the amended regulations also return to caafi (civil aviation authority of the fiji islands) some regulatory powers that were inadvertently passed on to airports fiji limited by the civil aviation reform act, 1999. a total of 49 regulations were amended to comply with safety standards and recommended practices introduced by the icao (international civil aviation organization). these included certification of service providers; regulatory functions; airworthiness of aircraft; licensing; and flight operations and rules of the air. a transition period of six months from the date of promulgation was provided to allow stakeholders to comply with the amended regulations.