site.btaParliament Ratifies Protocol Amending Convention on Offences and Certain Acts Committed on Board Aircraft

On Wednesday, Parliament adopted in a single session, at both first and second readings, a bill ratifying the Protocol amending the Convention on Offences and Certain Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, adopted on April 4 2014 in Montreal.

The Convention on Offences and Certain Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, adopted in Tokyo on September 14 1963, establishes that the state of registration of an aircraft has jurisdiction over offences and other acts committed on board the aircraft. The Protocol amending the Convention supplements this rule by providing that, under certain conditions, the state of landing and the state of the operator may also have jurisdiction over offences and unlawful acts committed on board the aircraft.

The Protocol also specifies provisions concerning both the powers of flight security personnel and their legal protection in cases brought by individuals against whom preventive measures have been taken, which significantly enhances aviation security globally. The Protocol also contains provisions regulating coordination between states, the right to a fair trial and fair treatment, as well as the right of air operators to seek compensation for damages caused by a person against whom preventive measures have been taken.