The Air Navigation Act 1920 ( 10 & 11 Geo. 5. c. 80) was an act of Parliament of the

United Kingdom Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

which gave the British government the authority to control

air navigation The basic principles of air navigation are identical to general navigation, which includes the process of planning, recording, and controlling the movement of a craft from one place to another. Successful air navigation involves piloting an airc ...

. An identically named Act was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament in Australia, to bring into force the provision of the Paris Convention and the newly created International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAN).

History of the Australian act

The first attempts at international regulation of air navigation were made in

1910 in Paris Year 191 ( CXCI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Bradua (or, less frequently, year 944 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 191 for this ye ...

, when representatives of 19 European countries attended an International Air Conference. The meeting was abandoned when agreement on the contents could not be reached. At a peace conference after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the regulation of air navigation was once again discussed. Because of the advances made in

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

during the war, all attending members agreed to hold an International Conference to draw up rules and international regulations for air traffic. The

Paris Convention Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

was signed on 13 October 1919. On 25 February 1919, an Australian Air Traffic Committee under the Council of Defence met for the first time. Major General Legge, chairman of the committee, noted that "''there should be only one regulatory air authority for Australia, working under a single legislature.''" At an Australian Premiers' Conference in May 1920 the Australian

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923. He led the nation during World War I, and his influence on national politics s ...

's recommendation that "''each State should refer to the Commonwealth '' f Australia' the control of air navigation, but in a way as to reserve to the States the right to own and use aircraft for the purpose of government departments and the police powers of the State''" was carried, and the Australian Parliament passed the ''Air Navigation Act'' in the widest possible terms. The Australian ''Air Navigation Act of 1920'' was granted assent on 2 December 1920, gazetted on 11 February 1921, came into force on 28 March 1921 and became law on 28 June 1921. Regulations under the Act provided for the registration of aircraft, licensing of aerodromes, licensing of personnel, periodic inspection and maintenance of aircraft, and rules of the air.

List of acts and adaptions

References

{{Commercial air travel

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Air traffic control in the United Kingdom History of air traffic control Aviation in Australia Aviation history of the United Kingdom Aviation law International Civil Aviation Organization treaties Treaties concluded in 1919 1919 in aviation 1919 in France League of Nations treaties Transport legislation

History of the Australian act

List of acts and adaptions

See also

References