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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1079.PDF
MAY 25TH, 1944 p I/ MR TRANSPORT CHARTER? nations which had some assets to offer to the world's markets had the chance to develop their commercial air transport. Accusations that this convention slowed-down the pro gress of air transport have often been exaggerated or quite inaccurate. Air traffic before the war was only beginning to expand, and initial development could not take place without considerable material contributions from the coun tries concerned. It would be quite meaningless to attempt to ascertain a justifiable rate of subsidies provided by various countries in the pre-war period. Only nations pre paring for war spent in excess of their actual civil aviation needs, while others, having no aggressive tendencies, built up their aviation only to the extent of their cultural and economic needs. Air-space Rights Frequently suggestions for improvements of the alleged defects of the Paris Convention amount really to a demand > for sacrifices and concessions from the smaller countries, whose only protection against elimination by world com petition is their sovereign rights over their air space. The most conclusive evidence of this is the pre-war practice of air agreements based on reciprocity. Although not all nations could make use of the bargaining power bestowed upon them by the Paris Convention, they could turn it into an instrument of economic policy. Needless to say, the pre-war status arising from the pro visions of the Paris Convention would have to be drastically revised if proposals either for the internationalisation of aviation or for the establishment of a superior air authority were to be adopted. In the absence of any reliable indications as to the con ditions and principles of international collaboration in the future, we are likely to meet more and more often with the opinion that there should be no limitation of the prin ciple of air sovereignty without the provision of definite machinery which would compensate the smaller nations for - their voluntary contributions, and which would confer upon them the right to participate in international air transport. It would not be enough for the future conference on J international air traffic merely to abolish certain regulations *^cf the Paris Convention. In addition, a plan would have to be adopted providing either for the internationalisation of air transport on specific air lines, or laying down the principle for the allocation of air lines by a world authority, should one be created. The right to free development of inland air traffic in par ticular European countries does not, of course, solve the problem of their participation in internaitonal air com munications. Because of political geographic conditions of Europe, the problem of air communications can only be solved on an international basis. International Licensing Board Without anticipating the organisational framework of post-war civil aviation, let us assume that an international body, empowered to grant exploitation licences for air lines, will be established, or that certain international air lines will be created. Upon what basis could individual nations participate in such an international network? The qualifying factors can be divided into four classes, given below in order of importance: — (a) Contribution of a particular country to the common war effort and its faithfulness to the Allied cause. (b) Previous contribution to the' development of air com munications, considered in the light of the country's potentialities and its pre-war air transport requirements. (c) Participation in world economy and the need to link the Mother Country with overseas possessions or bigger settlements abroad. (d) Natural conditions favourable to the development of communications, such as the geographical situation of a country, its topography, atmospheric conditions, etc. It follows from this classification that (a), (b) and (c) are G HT 563 either achieved by the war effort of the State and its citi zens, or by their contribution to the world at peace, while on the other hand (d) is a factor independent of any effort and is rather a "gift of nature." Consideration of Factors Although the last is to a certain degree a chance factor, it cannot be omitted because, in the case of two nations competing for a certain air fine over their territory and otherwise possessing identical qualifications, this question should be decided by considerations of technical expediency such as distance, flying safety, etc. Point (a) should be easy to establish and should not give rise to any difficulties. From the point of view of historical justice it is clear that countries which have had to pay for . their rights to freedom with endless sacrifices must have some guaranteed right to peaceful development and pro gress. The greater its voluntary contribution towards the victory of the democratic ideal, the more enduring should be the confidence won by that country in the society of free nations. Naturally this countribution must be measured in proportion to the practical potentialities of the nation. Factor (b), somewhat more complicated, should be defined as the right of nations qualified under (a) to the use of, or collaboration in, those air lines to the existence of which they contributed before the war. If we take it for granted that only the aggressor states created air lines before the war for hidden purposes of political and economic expansion, and that these states have to be eliminated from participation in future air transport, then the right to fly on lines established by them expresses another funda mental condition of justice. Economic Interdependence 1 More difficult will be the definition of factor (c), i.e. the participation of a nation in the economy of the world in general and of Europe in particular. Here it should be borne in mind that it will not be always possible to take « pre-war standards as a basis. The rehabilitation of the small and non-industrial countries of Europe in order to render them independent of Germany will substantially affect their share in future international economic collabora tion. Among other factors an important change in the direction of the flow of goods and traffic is to be expected. For this reason it will be difficult to assess post-war economic interdependence until the economic structure of the whole world, and especially that of Europe, has been settled. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that, apart from some special considerations such as that of strategy, it will be the economic factors which will determine the line ot development of future air lines and the share of individual nations in their exploitation. It can be observed that before the war air lines of a number of countries extended in the same direction as their foreign trade and postal turnover. It may also be of interest to note that the total network length, one of the charac teristic features of air-line development of some countries, was formed in definite proportion to the part played by these countries in the world's trade. The diagram on p. 562 shows clearly the almost general interdependence of air traffic and economic factors. Although such comparison could be made on some other basis, the network length was chosen because it represents the most constant value over a specific period. The con sideration of this interdependence, together with such alterations as may result from the taking over of Axis aviation, will most certainly contribute towards a reason able assessment of the economic interests of individual nations in international air transport. Because of its conquest of time and space, civil air trans port can be a vital factor in the collaboration of the whole of humanity for its own good. Yet one should realise that such collaboration—even in the limited fielr" of air traffic— can only be the offspring of good will based upon the under standing of mutual needs If, in the name c progress, the weaker nations should be asked to renounce certain recog nised privileges, the future organisational form must be replenished with some new contents, if it is to remain at
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