The Policies and Problems of Transatlantic Aviation Relations

1Despite the highly international nature of air transport, the airline industry remains one of the most insulated from competition outside of a country’s borders. Because airlines developed as instruments of a country’s foreign policy, bilateral networks of treaties developed formed after end of World War II. The Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, more commonly known as the Chicago Convention, was held at the invitation of the Roosevelt Administration in the hope of fostering an “open skies ” civil aviation system. Of course, the U.S. would be the greatest beneficiary, as its airlines (like most industries) were in excellent shape compared to those in Europe, and American manufacturers supplied the vast majority of the world’s civilian aircraft at the time. The Soviet Union was resistant to internationalization though, insisting on insulating themselves from the West and offering only a limited number of connecting gateways. The European powers, fearing American domination of the skies, were unwilling to accede to the American position, and insisted on the bilateral regime that has existed since. The Chicago Convention established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a regulatory body under the United Nations, and formalized the five “freedoms ” of the air:1-First Freedom: the right to fly over a country without stopping2-Second Freedom: the right to land in another country to refuel or in case of emergency3-Third Freedom: the right to carry traffic from the home country to another countr