Aeronautics Act

Marginal note:Court may order forfeiture

• 7.4 (1) Where a person is convicted on indictment of an offence referred to in paragraph 7.3(1)(f) or (g) in relation to the operation of a commercial air service, the court may, in addition to any other punishment it may impose, order that any aircraft used in the commercial air service be forfeited and, on the making of such an order, the aircraft is forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada.

• Marginal note:Application by person claiming interest

  (2) Where any aircraft is forfeited under subsection (1), any person, in this section referred to as the “applicant”, other than a person convicted of the offence that resulted in the forfeiture, who claims an interest in the aircraft may, within 30 days after the forfeiture, apply by notice in writing to a judge of the superior court of the province where the aircraft is situated for an order under subsection (5).

• Marginal note:Date of hearing

  (3) A judge to whom an application is made under subsection (2) shall fix a day not less than thirty days after the date of filing of the application for the hearing thereof.

• Marginal note:Notice

  (4) An applicant shall serve a notice of the application and of the day fixed for the hearing of the application on the Minister at least fifteen days before the day so fixed.

• Marginal note:Order by judge

  (5) Where, on the hearing of an application, the judge is satisfied that the applicant

  • (a) is innocent of any complicity in the offence that resulted in the forfeiture and of any collusion in relation to the offence with the person convicted thereof, and

  • (b) exercised reasonable care to satisfy himself or herself that the aircraft concerned was not likely to be used in contravention of this Part or any regulation, notice, order, security measure or emergency direction made under this Part,

  the applicant is entitled to an order by the judge declaring that the applicant’s interest is not affected by the forfeiture and declaring the nature and extent of that interest.

• Marginal note:Appeal

  (6) An appeal from an order or refusal to make an order under subsection (5) lies to the court to which an appeal may be taken from an order of the superior court in the province in which the forfeiture occurred and the appeal shall be asserted, heard and decided according to the ordinary procedure governing appeals to the court from orders or judgments of a judge of the superior court.

• Marginal note:Application to Minister

  (7) The Minister shall, on application made to the Minister by any person who has obtained an order under subsection (5),

  • (a) direct that the aircraft to which the interest of the applicant relates be returned to the applicant; or

  • (b) direct that an amount equal to the value of the interest of the applicant, as declared in the order, be paid to the applicant.

• Marginal note:Disposal of forfeited aircraft

  (8) Where no application is made under this section for an order in relation to an interest in a forfeited aircraft or an application is made and the judge or, on appeal, the court refuses to make an order referred to in subsection (5), the aircraft shall be disposed of in such manner as the Minister may direct.