Between the Wars and the First International Conventions
The war had brought about considerable progress in design and manufacturing
Alcock and Brown made a transatlantic flight in 1919
Charles Lindhberg solo flight in 1927; Charles Kingford Smith transpacific in 1928
All these flights over and between several countries raised new legal questions that required agreement on certain common rules to govern aviation throughout the world
The Treaty of Versailles and the 1919 Paris Convention
This was a Peace conference held at the closing of WWI to define the rights of the parties, frontiers, controls on weapons, etc and how airplanes are to be used, landing rights, sovereign air space over territory, etc
The 1926 Madrid and 1928 Havana Conventions
Failed attempts at widening the 1919 Paris convention. Instead, multiplicity of bilateral agreements between countries granting each other various reciprocal rights. Still the case today.
The 1929 Warsaw Convention
Structure and contents
Commercial aviation (paying passengers) had started. Documentation required: ticket, air waybill, baggage claim, liability of air carrier for loss or damage to cargo, injury or loss of life, lateness, cancellation, etc; limits set on liability in Gold Francs per life lost and kilos of cargo; sets prescription times, court jurisdiction
Amendments and current importance
Amended many times, mostly to increase the value of compensation to be paid; linkage to IMF value, replacement of gold Francs by Special Drawing Rights, etc
Still in force today and binding between signatories; superseded for liability by Montreal Convention 1999 which enlarged the definition of accident and again increased the amounts payable