The International Crime of Attacking Civil Aviation in Times of Peace and War

Abstract

The international crime of attacking civil aviation is considered one of the most serious threats to global peace and security, whether committed during peacetime or armed conflicts. Civil aviation constitutes a vital artery for communication among nations and a fundamental means for trade and cultural exchange. Targeting it results in massive human losses and creates significant disruption in international relations.

This study aims to examine the legal nature of the crime of attacking civil aviation by analyzing relevant international instruments, such as the 1944 Chicago Convention, the Montreal Convention, as well as the rules of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit attacks against civilians and non-military infrastructure during wartime. The research also addresses the challenges facing the international community in enforcing these rules, particularly in light of the rise of transnational terrorism and the weakness of deterrence and accountability mechanisms.

The central research problem lies in questioning the adequacy of the current international legal framework to confront such crimes and exploring how international cooperation can be strengthened to ensure that perpetrators do not escape justice. The study adopts a descriptive, analytical, and comparative methodology, presenting and analyzing legal texts while linking them to historical and contemporary incidents, in order to derive practical conclusions and recommendations.

The findings suggest that protecting civil aviation requires the development of stricter legal mechanisms, the activation of international criminal justice, and the enhancement of cooperation among states in information exchange and prosecution of offenders, thereby safeguarding civil aviation as a tool of peace rather than a target of aggression.