Air sovereignty
Encyclopedia
Air sovereignty follows from state sovereignty
and describes the fundamental right of a sovereign state
to regulate the use of its airspace
on its own (Aviation law
= airlaw, in Germany i.e. by the (Luftverkehrsgesetz). Air Police measures (i.e. control flights) are secured for these tasks by stand-by Fighter aircraft
.
Airspace above the total of land- and sea areas of a state forms part of the sovereign state area. The national Airspace as a rule follows the borderlines. Parts of the Airspace can also be let for use to other states. Intrusion into the airspace of one of the UN member states do not need any allowance when civil aviation is concerned (Convention on International Civil Aviation
).
The upper limit of airspaces is not exactly defined by law. Established limits (e.g. the Kármán line
) are not relevant with respect to international law for the demarcation of the airspaces under air sovereignty from non-sovereign universe
.
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
and describes the fundamental right of a sovereign state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
to regulate the use of its airspace
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
on its own (Aviation law
Aviation law
Aviation law is the branch of law that concerns flight, air travel, and associated legal and business concerns. Some of its area of concern overlaps that of admiralty law and in many cases, aviation law is considered a matter of international law due to the nature of air travel. However, the...
= airlaw, in Germany i.e. by the (Luftverkehrsgesetz). Air Police measures (i.e. control flights) are secured for these tasks by stand-by Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
.
Airspace above the total of land- and sea areas of a state forms part of the sovereign state area. The national Airspace as a rule follows the borderlines. Parts of the Airspace can also be let for use to other states. Intrusion into the airspace of one of the UN member states do not need any allowance when civil aviation is concerned (Convention on International Civil Aviation
Convention on International Civil Aviation
The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, established the International Civil Aviation Organization , a specialized agency of the United Nations charged with coordinating and regulating international air travel...
).
The upper limit of airspaces is not exactly defined by law. Established limits (e.g. the Kármán line
Karman line
The Kármán line lies at an altitude of above the Earth's sea level, and is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space...
) are not relevant with respect to international law for the demarcation of the airspaces under air sovereignty from non-sovereign universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
.