Government spending figures for the fiscal year ahead show a $7.3 million drop, reflecting the shift of the Department of Civil Aviation into a quango.

The move had been announced last month by Shawn Crockwell, the Minister of Tourism Development and Transport, to make the organisation more adaptable and “nimble” in response to market changes.

It was budgeted $9 million for the 2015-16 fiscal year, revised to $7.2 million, with no spending allocated for the coming financial year. A similar move occurred for the Department of Maritime Administration, also made into a quango. Both are hoped to grow their respective registries of aircraft and shipping.

Further details on changes entailed in the conversation are to emerge during the coming Budget debates in the House of Assembly, according to Thomas Dunstan, the department’s director.