International Civil Aviation Day

What Is International Civil Aviation Day?

December 7th is "International Civil Aviation Day." It marks December 7, 1944, when the Convention on International Civil Aviation -- commonly called the Chicago Convention -- was signed, establishing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO's assembly designated the day in 1992, and it has been observed since 1994, the 50th anniversary of the signing. The UN General Assembly adopted it in 1996, making it an official international day.

The Chicago Convention and the Rules of the Sky

For aircraft to cross borders, countries need shared rules about whose airspace may be used and how. The Chicago Convention laid that foundation.

• Date of signing: December 7, 1944, in Chicago, USA
• Formal name: Convention on International Civil Aviation, known by its signing city
• Content: reaffirmed sovereignty over national airspace and set the legal status of aircraft
• ICAO: a specialized agency under the UN Economic and Social Council; Japan joined in 1953 and has served on its council since 1956

Air Traffic Control Built on Standardization

ICAO works to spread aviation technology, standardize air traffic control methods, and set the rules that apply when aircraft cross borders. More recently it has worked on satellite-based navigation technology (CNS/ATM). The fact that takeoff and landing follow similar procedures at airports worldwide is the result of this steady standardization.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Watch the flights currently in the air on a flight-tracking site
• Take an early look at your year-end travel bookings
• Look up where airport codes come from -- HND for Haneda, KIX for Kansai
• Reflect on 1944, when the rules of the sky were negotiated in the middle of a world war

Shared Rules for a Sky Without Borders

No borders are drawn in the sky, yet aircraft pass through the airspace of many countries. December 7th is a day to notice the international agreements that keep that ordinary fact working.