Who controls Airspace?
- February 26, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Who controls Airspace?
Subject: Economy
Context: Recently India allowed Pakistan PM use of its airspace in his trip to Sri Lanka which is part of softening relations slowly due to back channel diplomacy.
Concept:
- Every State has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory (Article 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation).
- Territory of any state includes 12 nautical miles of territorial waters off the coastline.
- Airspace beyond any country’s territorial limit is considered as ‘International Airspace’.
- Airspace is a natural resource with finite capacity for which demand from all users is constantly expanding. There has been an increased requirement on airspace use to meet a fast-growing aviation demand.
- There are two major airspace users in the world today civil and military.
a. Civil includes; private, commercial and government owned aircraft primarily transporting cargo and passengers.
b. Military aviation includes; state-owned aircraft engaged in transport training, security and defence
- In order for international aviation to operate safely and harmoniously, States have agreed to collaborate ATC services, access of airspace and common regulatory infrastructure.
- A Flight permit is the permission required by an aircraft to fly over, land or make a stop in the airspace belonging to a specific country.
- All the countries have their own regulations regarding the issuance of flight permits. Generally, there are charges to be paid by the companies operating these flights for the use of services which could include:
- Route Navigation Facility Charges (RNFC) to be paid for flying over acountry’s airspace
- Landing charges and Parking charges
- Terminal Navigation and Landing Charges (TNLC
Different types of permits are:
- Overflight Permit: This permit is taken to enter the airspace of a sovereign country, fly over it and exit it under Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) which permit flights from other countries. However, a prior approval is required before entering an airspace. In certain cases, conflict with the country of origin or destination, outstanding navigation fees etc. could be the reasons for denial of permission for a particular flight.
- Landing Permit: This permit is sought to land at a specific airport facility.
- Diplomatic Permit for aircraft belonging to the government or military. Generally provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country over which the aircraft would be flying over.
- In India, the DGCA determines the charges to be levied on International flights for using Indian Airspace