Airspace Sovereignty Doctrine
Category: Regulation | Area of Effect: Transportation
Proposed by: Simone Republic, Co-author: Kenmoria | Onsite Topic
The World Assembly (WA),
Noting the repeals of resolutions concerning aircraft and airspace, such as GARs 34, 342 and 464, and the legislative lacuna resultant therefrom;
Desiring a common approach to defining what constitutes "airspace", in order to facilitate trade and travel between WA states;
The WA hereby enacts as follows:
- Definitions.
- "Flying object" means anything defined by the International Aero-Space Administration as (i) able to travel in "airspace" (defined below) and (ii) relying on its own power, but excludes any living flying creature.
- "WA organs" means the WA and any of its sub-committees.
- Sovereignty.
- Each WA state has and shall be deemed to have sovereignty over its own airspace.
- "Airspace" is hereby defined as the atmosphere vertically over any land mass or any waters for which the said WA state claims sovereignty, up to the boundary where the exobase ends and barometric conditions no longer apply, and where outer space thereafter begins.
- For WA states in celestial bodies with physical features (such as the lack of an atmosphere) that render the definition in subclause 2(b) inapplicable, the airspace of the said WA state is that space (which, for convenience, shall also be referred to herein as a WA state's "airspace") vertically over any land mass or any waters for which the said WA state asserts sovereignty, either (whichever is lower):
- Up to the point that allows the said WA state a height of airspace as enables it to conduct those activities that a technologically similar terrestrial WA state would be able to conduct, or
- Up to the point where the gravitational pull of the celestial body on which that WA state asserts sovereignty becomes negligible for the domestic purposes of that WA state.
- Airspace that is vertically over terra nullius, or that is over international waters where no WA state has asserted sovereignty, is hereby declared to be international airspace.
- The extent of airspace as defined in subclause 2(b) and 2(c) can be varied by valid treaties signed and ratified by all WA states that possess airspace affected by the said treaty.
- Jurisdiction.
- A WA state may assert jurisdiction over (1) any flying object registered to the competent authorities of the said WA state, or (2) any flying object traveling under the flag of that WA state, such as military aircraft belonging to that WA state.
- The WA may assert jurisdiction over any flying object operated by, for, or on behalf of a WA organ. Such objects shall be known as "WA aircraft" for the remainder of this resolution.
- Non-interference of WA aircraft.
- A WA state must not impede the normal operations of any flying objects under the jurisdiction of the WA itself, except, subject to resolutions existing prior to the passing of this resolution, strictly for the purposes of:
- capacity management if it is traveling within the WA state's airspace; or
- quarantines.
- Subclause 4(a) excludes cases where the WA aircraft has been hijacked by rogue actors, or by those that have mutinied against the WA, and other analogous circumstances of loss of control.
Note: Only votes from TNP WA nations, NPA personnel, and those on NPA deployments will be counted. If you do not meet these requirements, please add (non-WA) or something of that effect to your vote. If you are on an NPA deployment without being formally registered as an NPA member, name your deployed nation in your vote.
Voting Instructions:
- Vote For if you want the Delegate to vote For the resolution.
- Vote Against if you want the Delegate to vote Against the resolution.
- Vote Abstain if you want the Delegate to abstain from voting on this resolution.
- Vote Present if you are personally abstaining from this vote.
For | Against | Abstain | Present |
3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
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