The nine pillars of passenger air travel: why planes are allowed to fly around the world

There are nine universal "freedoms" of commercial air travel. Although many passengers are not even aware of their existence, these rules are the basis of any trip. In 1944, the International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets the standards for the global aviation industry, approved the "rights and freedoms" of airlines. They begin to operate when the plane of one country flies to another. These rules make it possible to travel across borders, explains Insider.

There are five official air "freedoms" and four so-called rights, which are set out in bilateral and multilateral treaties between countries.

First freedom is the right of one country to grant the airlines of another country the right to fly in its airspace without landing.

Second freedom allows an aircraft to land on foreign territory for “purposes other than the transport of passengers”, such as emergency landings.

third freedom entitles the home airline of one state to deliver passengers to another. AND fourth allows such a carrier to deliver passengers back.

The first four freedoms are quite simple, but the fifth one is very interesting and somewhat unexpected. Fifth freedom allows an airline of one country to transport passengers between two foreign countries. Her example is the unique route from New York to Singapore.

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Singapore Airlines' huge Airbus A380 flies from New York to the carrier's home country, but makes a stop in Frankfurt, Germany along the way.

The airline is allowed to drop off passengers in Frankfurt and pick them up from there for a flight to Singapore. Even those flying to Singapore must disembark in Frankfurt and re-check in for the flight. You don't need to go through security again.

This is different from some U.S. domestic flights, which allow passengers to stay on board if they fly further. This is practiced by carriers such as Southwest Airlines and Breeze Airways.

This unique freedom was not uncommon in the early days of air travel when planes had to make many stops.

For example, during the Cold War, Russia did not allow foreign airlines to fly over its airspace. And the British corporation British Overseas Airways hopped from country to country within 36 hours to connect London and Tokyo. This allowed the carrier to bypass Soviet territory. Stops included places like Rome (Italy) and Karachi (Pakistan).

With the advent of more economical long-haul aircraft, multi-stop flights became irrelevant. But there are still cases where using the fifth freedom gives the airline more flexibility.

For example, the Dutch flag carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines can carry passengers from Amsterdam to Santiago via Buenos Aires.

Such routing allows the carrier to enter two foreign markets at once. And at the same time operate only one wide-body aircraft across the Atlantic. It also creates more competition.

There are several other examples of the use of the fifth freedom in the world. For example, Emirates is laying a route between Dubai and the United States through Milan. The Air Tahiti Nui route between Paris and Papeete passes through Los Angeles, while the Ethiopian Airlines flight between the United States and Addis Ababa passes through the West African state of Togo. All this gives travelers more options.

There are 4 more “unofficial” rights

The first such right or sixth freedom allows one airline to transport passengers between two foreign countries through its own country. This stop in the home country is most often carried out at the home airport of the airline.

For example, Emirates connects customers from Australia to the US via Dubai. And United can connect passengers from Europe to South America via Houston.

seventh freedom a little more difficult. It is an agreement between two countries for the transport of people or goods between third countries, even if the home country of the carrier is not the starting, ending or intermediate point.

The US and Colombia recently expanded their agreement to allow such shipments for cargo. This means that an aircraft from an American carrier licensed to operate in Colombia can fly, for example, from Bogotá directly to Brazil or Chile.

The last two rights allow an airline to operate domestic flights in a foreign country with or without flights to or from its home country.

They are most common in the European Union, New Zealand and Australia, where a “single aviation market” has been created allowing several countries to operate under a single airspace.

That is why the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair can fly domestic routes in Italy or France.

However, outside these established corridors, such cabotage is rare. In the United States, it is generally considered illegal - the government protects American airlines from foreign competition in the domestic market.