The Paris Convention of 1919 (formally, the Convention Relating to the Regulation of Aerial Navigation) was the first international convention to address the political difficulties and intricacies involved in international aerial navigation. The convention was concluded under the auspices of the

International Commission for Air Navigation The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

(forerunner to

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

). It attempted to reduce the confusing patchwork of ideologies and regulations which differed by country by defining certain guiding principles and provisions, and was signed in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on October 13, 1919.

History

The first passenger-carrying airline flight happened in 1913 with the

St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

. Before that time, aircraft had been used to carry mail and other cargo. With the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914, aircraft were being operated internationally to carry not only cargo, but also as military assets. The international use of aircraft brought up questions about

air sovereignty Air sovereignty is the fundamental right of a sovereign state to regulate the use of its airspace and enforce its own aviation law – ''in extremis'' by the use of fighter aircraft. The upper limit of national airspace is not defined by internatio ...

. The arguments over air sovereignty at the time factored into one of two main viewpoints: either no state had a right to claim sovereignty over the airspace overlying its territory, or every state had the right to do so. The Paris Convention of 1919 sought to determine this question as part of the process of framing the convention's assumptions, and it was decided that each nation has absolute sovereignty over the airspace overlying its territories and waters. The nations that signed the treaty were: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, the British Empire, China, Cuba, Ecuador, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, the Hejaz, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Roumania, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Siam, Czechoslovakia, and Uruguay. Ultimately, the convention was ratified by 11 states, including Persia, which had not signed it. The United States never ratified it because of its linkage to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. The treaty came into force in 1922. The Paris Convention was superseded by the

Convention on International Civil Aviation The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations charged with coordinating international air trave ...

(also known as the Chicago Convention).

Principles

The following principles governed the drafting of the convention: # Each nation has absolute sovereignty over the airspace overlying its territories and waters. A nation, therefore, has the right to deny entry and regulate flights (both foreign and domestic) into and through its airspace. # Each nation should apply its airspace rules equally to its own and foreign aircraft operating within that airspace, and make rules such that its sovereignty and security are respected while affording as much freedom of passage as possible to its own and other signatories' aircraft. # Aircraft of contracting states are to be treated equally in the eyes of each nation's law. # Aircraft must be registered to a state, and they possess the nationality of the state in which they are registered.

It had 9 chapters, dealing with: * General Principles * Nationality of aircraft * Certificates of airworthiness and competency * Admission to air navigation above foreign territory * Rules to be observed on departure when under way and on landing * Prohibited transport * State aircraft * International Commission for air navigation * Final Provisions

Warsaw Convention The Convention for the Unification of certain rules relating to international carriage by air, commonly known as the Warsaw Convention, is an international convention which regulates liability for international carriage of persons, luggage, or ...

References

External links

Text
League of Nations Treaty Series

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris Convention Of 1919 International Civil Aviation Organization treaties Treaties concluded in 1919 1919 in aviation 1919 in France League of Nations treaties Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Bolivia Treaties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922) Treaties of the French Third Republic Treaties of the Kingdom of Greece Treaties of the Empire of Japan Treaties of the Portuguese First Republic Treaties of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Treaties of Thailand Treaties of Liberia Treaties of the Qajar dynasty Treaties of the United States Treaties of the First Brazilian Republic Treaties of the Republic of China (1912–1949) Treaties of Cuba Treaties of Ecuador Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Haiti Treaties of the Kingdom of Hejaz Treaties of Honduras Treaties of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Panama Treaties of Peru Treaties of the Second Polish Republic Treaties of the Kingdom of Romania Treaties of Czechoslovakia Treaties of Uruguay Treaties extended to Canada Treaties extended to Australia Treaties extended to New Zealand Treaties extended to the Union of South Africa Treaties extended to British India

History

Principles

Contents

Related

References

External links