Civil Aviation Act 1971

3 General objectives, and guidance by the Secretary of State

(1) It shall be the duty of the Authority to perform the functions conferred on it otherwise than by this section in the manner which it considers is best calculated—

(a) to secure that British airlines provide air transport services which satisfy all substantial categories of public demand (so far as British airlines may reasonably be expected to provide such services) at the lowest charges consistent with a high standard of safety in operating the services and an economic return to efficient operators on the sums invested in providing the services and with securing the sound development of the civil air transport industry of the United Kingdom;

(b) to secure that at least one major British airline which is not controlled by the British Airways Board has opportunities to participate in providing, on charter and other terms, the air transport services mentioned in the preceding paragraph ;

(c) subject to the preceding paragraphs, to encourage the civil air transport industry of the United Kingdom to increase the contribution which it makes towards a favourable balance of payments for the United Kingdom and towards the prosperity of the economy of the United Kingdom ; and

(d) subject to the preceding paragraphs, to further the reasonable interests of users of air transport services;

and in this subsection " British airline " means an undertaking having power to provide air transport services and appearing to the Authority to have its principal place of business in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and to be controlled by persons who either are United Kingdom nationals or are for the time being approved by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this subsection.

(2) Subject to the following subsection, the Secretary of State may from time to time, after consultation with the Authority, give guidance to the Authority in writing with respect to the performance of the functions conferred on it otherwise than by this subsection; and it shall be the duty of the Authority to perform those functions in such a manner as it considers is in accordance with the guidance for the time being given to it in pursuance of this subsection.

(3) No guidance shall be given to the Authority in pursuance of the preceding subsection unless a draft of the document containing it has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.