Aéroports : quelques enjeux juridiques actuels

The following thesis deals with three current legal issues regarding airports.In the first chapter the development of airport ownership and management structures will be studied. Although in most cases airports are still owned and managed by governments or local bodies, since the 1960s, new approaches to ownership and management have come into practise. This phenomenon is studied from the perspective of its impact upon public air law.The second chapter deals with airport charges and their international legal framework. After examining the different forms of airport charges and the recommendations enacted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the author will be led to the conclusion that the current legal regime is unsatisfactory and that the most appropriate solution to this would be to incorporate the principles formulated by ICAO in an Annex to the Chicago Convention.The third and final chapter is devoted to the study of a legal dispute between Switzerland and Germany with respect to the approach paths to Zurich airport through German airspace. It is concluded that the unilateral legal measures taken by the German government are, with one exception, in conformity with international law