Civil Aviation

History

Civil aviation and globalization move in tandem. That means civil aviation has always fostered globalization, while also being affected by globalization. To understand this interaction, one needs to look back in aviation history. The dawn of the modern aviation industry started on December 17, 1903, with the first successful powered, controlled heavier-than-air machine flight. With that 12-second flight of the Wright Brothers, aviation was born and began to develop. World War I and World War II were the accelerating phases of civil aviation. After these wars ended, many countries began looking to use these military aircrafts for commercial purpose, such as transporting mail, cargo, and passengers. The first small airlines began carrying mail, cargo, and passengers in the early years after World War I. After World War II, many countries had a large number of new airplanes and airfields equipped with the latest technology. Using these assets as a starting point, international airlines emerged and international air transport grew rapidly. Technical innovations like the introduction of turbo-propeller aircraft in the early 1950s, the introduction of jets in the late 1950s, and high bypass and faster engines in 1970, greater size and range and more efficient unit costs contributed to the growth of the industry. All these developments made possible long-range, regular, and cheaper public transportation. Combined with increased real incomes and more leisure time, the effect was an explosion in demand for air travel. Hence, air transportation became the dominant transportation mode of long-haul passenger travel, especially in developed countries. Nevertheless, international regulations were required to keep the pace of growth strong and healthy.

Regulating Civil Aviation

World War I revealed the negative aspect of aviation. The reality of aviation being a potential threat to national security brought the issue of regulating civil aviation to the international agenda. The legal framework for international civil aviation rights was initiated at the 1919 Convention for the Regulation of Aerial Navigation (Paris Convention), which was a part of the Paris Peace Conference. As an outcome of the conference, an International Commission on Aerial Navigation was established with the object of drawing up a convention on international civil aviation and to establish uniform rules and standards for inter alia aircraft registration, airworthiness, personnel licensing, maps and charts, rules of the air, and procedures for flying. Although there were some attempts to regulate aviation previously, by the Paris Convention, the basic principle that every nation has absolute and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its defined territory was recognized.

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