“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 37 (2026), pages 722–731.
DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2026-37-722-731
Filippov Artem
Classification of liable parties in international air law
ISSN online: 2617-9776 print: 0869-2491
Introduction. The article is devoted to defining the range of entities that bear liability in international air law and their classification. It is emphasized that this issue has not been suficiently researched in modern science.
The aim of the article is to identify the range of entities that bear liability under international air law and to classify them.
Results. The theoretical and methodological basis of this study is based on general scientific and special methods of cognition: induction, deduction, synthesis, analysis, comparison, systematic, special legal method, etc.
The author notes that states are accountable to other states and the ICAO for fulfilling their international obligations contained in numerous international treaties on international air law. However, the lack of an effective mechanism for holding states accountable for unlawful interference in civil aviation (especially for such gross acts as the destruction, seizure, or appropriation of civil aircraft) is one of the significant gaps in international aviation law.
The author emphasizes that, under the 1999 Montreal Convention, an air carrier (if damage is caused by an act of unlawful interference with civil aviation) bears objective limited liability to the other party to the international air transport agreement. The operator of a foreign aircraft is liable for damage caused by that aircraft to third parties on the surface.
A natural person who commits an act of unlawful interference with civil aviation shall be brought before a court to be held criminally liable on general grounds and shall be liable to the state which, in accordance with the principle of aut dedere aut judicare, either exercises its jurisdiction over the offense or extradites the offender to a state authorized by conventions. The author points out that international air law does not establish liability for acts of unlawful interference, and the old convention mechanism of 1963-1988 does not even require punishment of the guilty party—only that the contracting states take measures “which may be necessary to establish their jurisdiction over the crime.” Article 3 of the 2010 Beijing Convention alone already obliges parties to apply “severe penalties” to such crimes. In the event of unlawful interference by a natural person responsible for managing or controlling a legal entity, that legal entity may be subject to criminal, civil, or administrative liability, including financial penalties, if the laws of the state provide for such a possibility.
Conclusions. The author notes that international air law has developed a specific institution of liability, which is distinguished by special entities. In addition to states and intergovernmental organizations (subjects of international law), there are also a number of private law entities: parties to air transport agreements (air carriers, undisciplined passengers, shippers), aircraft operators, individuals (natural persons and, in some cases, legal entities) who have committed an act of unlawful interference with aviation or air piracy (piracy committed with the use of an aircraft or against an aircraft).
Keywords: classification of liable parties in international air law, liability of parties to an air transport agreement, liability of air carriers, liability of unruly passengers, liability of foreign aircraft operators, liability of individuals and legal entities for acts of unlawful interference with civil aviation.
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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 15.12.2025
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 03.03.2026
Дата публікації: 24.03.2026