International Air Law Framework: Chicago Convention, ICAO and the Annexes
This domain tests whether you can place a regulatory situation on the correct legal footing: which Chicago Convention article, which Annex, and whether the rule is a Standard or a Recommended Practice.
The Convention itself
The Convention on International Civil Aviation was signed at Chicago in 1944 and contains 96 articles. Article 1 confirms that every State has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory - every later right is an exception granted by treaty. Article 5 grants non-scheduled flights a right of transit without prior permission, but States may reserve that right; Article 6 requires special permission for scheduled services. Article 3 bis prohibits the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight.
Key operational articles: Art. 9 prohibited areas, Art. 10 landing at customs airports, Art. 13 entry and clearance regulations, Art. 16 search of aircraft, Art. 24 customs duty, Art. 26 investigation of accidents, Art. 29 documents carried, Art. 30 radio equipment and its licensing, Art. 31 certificates of airworthiness, Art. 32 personnel licences, Art. 33 mutual recognition of certificates, Art. 38 differences from Standards, Art. 40 endorsement of certificates.
ICAO and the Annexes
ICAO was created by Art. 43, with the Assembly, Council and Secretariat. The 19 Annexes contain Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). A Standard is a mandatory specification; a State that cannot comply must notify a difference to ICAO under Art. 38. Recommended Practices are desirable, not binding. PANS and Regional Supplementary Procedures sit below the Annexes and are also not SARPs.
Worked example
A State refuses a foreign charter without prior permission. Scheduled? Art. 6 applies - permission required. Non-scheduled? Art. 5 would normally apply, but if that State has reserved the right under the second sentence of Art. 5, the refusal is lawful.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing Annex 13 (investigation) with Annex 17 (security); assuming an Annex applies automatically in a State without national implementation; forgetting that a filed difference does not suspend the Standard for the operator.