The Chicago Convention
The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the
Chicago Convention, was signed at Chicago on 7 December 1944 and came into
force on 4 April 1947, superseding the Convention
relating to the Regulation of Aerial Navigation (or Paris Convention)
signed at Paris on 13 October 1919 and the Pan American Convention on
Commercial Aviation (or Havana Convention), signed at Havana on 20 February
1928. It contained the basic principles and arrangements in order that
international civil aviation be developed in a safe
and orderly manner, and that international air transport services be
established on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and
economically. The Chicago Convention also established the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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Font page of
the original version of the Chicago Convention |
Article 37 of the Chicago
Convention requests that, in implementing the international standards and
recommended practices and procedures adopted by ICAO, each Contracting State
undertake to collaborate in securing the highest practicable degree of
uniformity in regulations, standards, procedures, and organization in relation
to aircraft, personnel, airways and auxiliary services in all matters in which
such uniformity will facilitate and improve air navigation.
Article 94 of the Convention
reads of follows: “Any proposed amendment to the Convention must be approved by
a two-thirds vote of the Assembly and shall then come into force in respect of
States which have ratified such amendment when ratified by the number of
contracting States specified by the Assembly.”
To the original document of
the Chicago Convention, several amendments were adopted over the years; only
the major ones are listed hereafter:
1. Frequency of Assemblies (Article 48a). Originally,
the Assembly met every year. This was amended by the Eighth Session of the
Assembly in 14 June 1954 for the Assembly to meet not less than once in three
years.
2. Increase in the Council
Members (Article
50a). Originally the Council was composed of twenty-one contracting States
elected by the Assembly. This number was increased as follows:
a. To twenty-seven, as amended
by the 13th (Extraordinary) Session of the Assembly on 21 June 1961.
b. To thirty, as amended by the
17th (A) (Extraordinary) Session of the Assembly on 12 March 1971.
c. To thirty-three, as amended
by the 21st Session of the Assembly on 16 October 1974.
d. To thirty-six, as amended by
the 28th (Extraordinary) Session of the Assembly on 26 October 1990.
3. Increase in the Members of
the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) (Article 56). Originally, the Air Navigation Commission shall
be composed of twelve members appointed by the Council from among persons
nominated by contracting States. This number was increased as follows:
a. To fifteen, as amended by the
18th Session of the Assembly on 7 July 1971.
b. To nineteen, as amended by
the 27th
Session of the Assembly on 6 October 1989.
4. Authentic texts of the
Convention,
amended by several protocols:
a. Trilingual text (text of the
Convention drawn up in the English, French, and Spanish languages of equal
authenticity), as per Protocol signed at Montreal on 24 September 1968.
b. Quadrilingual text (text of the Convention
drawn up in the English, French, Russian and Spanish languages of equal
authenticity), as per Protocol signed at Montreal on 30 September 1977.
c. Qinquelingual text (text of the Convention
drawn up in the English, Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish languages of equal
authenticity), as per Protocol signed at Montreal on 20 September 1995.
d. Six-language text (text of
the Convention drawn up in the English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and
Spanish languages of equal authenticity), as per Protocol signed at Montreal on
1 October 1998.
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Framed
poster presented to ICAO by Mr. Albert Pelsser,
staff member at ICAO, upon his retirement. Montage with the Postal Issues
of the United Nations for ICAO’s work, with Preamble to the UN Charter. |
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Preamble
to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (original version). |
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ICAO Doc 7300 – 1st Edition of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed at Chicago on 7 December 1944.
Trilingual text: English/French/Spanish. |
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ICAO
Doc 7300 – 9th Edition of the Convention
on International Civil Aviation - 2006. Quadrilingual text:
English/French/Spanish/Russian. |
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