Aviation Consumer Protection (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026

# Aviation Consumer Protection (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026 ## What it does This is a supporting bill that makes technical changes to existing laws so they work properly with a new Aviation Consumer Protection Act (which is being introduced separately). It updates the Air Navigation Act 1920 to make clear that the new consumer protection rules aren't overridden by other aviation laws, and it handles the transition from the old Aircraft Noise Ombudsman system to whatever new system the main bill creates. ## Why it matters Without this bill, there could be confusion about which rules actually apply when airlines and passengers clash over consumer complaints, compensation, or service problems. It ensures the new consumer protections have proper legal teeth and aren't accidentally blocked by older aviation laws. ## Key details - **The Air Navigation Act gets updated** to explicitly exclude the new Aviation Consumer Protection Act from a catch-all clause that refers to "applicable laws" — meaning airlines can't use other regulations as an excuse to ignore consumer protection rules - **The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman is being replaced** — this bill handles the changeover from the current informal complaints body to whatever new arrangement comes with the main Act - **Everything starts at the same time** — this bill only kicks in when the main Aviation Consumer Protection Act 2026 begins, so they work together from day one