Representatives from various nations signed the Chicago Convention, officially known as the Convention on International Civil Aviation, on December 7, 1944, in Chicago, USA. This landmark agreement laid the foundation for modern international air law and led to the creation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The primary aim of the convention is to promote safe and orderly development of international civil aviation. It establishes rules for airspace, aircraft registration, safety, navigation, and the rights of signatory countries.
With 193 contracting states, the Chicago Convention governs almost all aspects of international air travel. It ensures that air transport remains safe, secure, efficient, and sustainable, while respecting the sovereignty of each nation’s airspace.
One of its key features is the freedoms of the air, which regulate the rights of airlines to enter and land in foreign countries. Lawmakers have amended the convention multiple times to keep pace with advances in aviation.
