This article explores the concepts surrounding civil and state aircraft, and the distinction between them. Focus will be placed on the current legal framework and whether or not this international system has sufficiently unified the law and provided clarity on the law applicable to civil and state aircraft. It provides an overview of the law relating to civil and state aircraft, from a historical background, to the current system, and onto what the system should potentially be. A comparison will then be made between the different international instruments in place. Lastly, an analysis will be made on where the law is currently lacking with regard to civil and state aircraft moving into the future, and how this can be solved. This article will conclude in expressing three possible solutions to the drawbacks of the current legal framework regarding civil and State aircraft.
Air and Space Law