Air transportation key concepts. Air transportation: concept, types, sources of legal regulation. Parties to the passenger air carriage agreement

Passengers and their luggage, cargo, passenger and freight cars, and ships, other vehicles are considered transit if their movement through the territory under the sovereignty or authority of one of the parties to the Convention on Freedom of Transit (with reloading, transshipment, transfer, change of mode of transport or without them), was only part of the route, starting and ending outside the state through whose territory transit transportation is carried out.

Charter means the chartering of an aircraft with a crew to perform a single flight or a specific flight program outside of a fixed schedule. Charter flights have a number of characteristic differences from regular flights: this flight is not on the regular flight schedule; the route of the charter flight is determined by the tourist organization and not by the carrier; such flights are cheaper than regular ones.

Charter flights are usually organized in cases where scheduled airline flights cannot cope with the load (during the season), or when there are no direct flights to a given destination.

The charter customer is usually a travel company or group of companies. Joint rental (freight) of a charter aircraft flight is carried out by several tour operators, but carriers prefer to deal with one customer. He must purchase the entire aircraft and bears the risk of selling tickets, i.e. aircraft loading. The charter benefits the carrier because it receives payment in advance for the entire charter, regardless of load.

A tour operator acting on behalf of several customers is called a consolidator. It is this operator that organizes the joint use of one charter flight by several travel companies, selling various tours that coincide in departure date, through agents and wholesalers in a specific area.

In world practice, the following types of charter flights are distinguished:.

1. A closed charter is different in that the organization purchasing the charter pays entirely for the transportation of its employees. The number of such flights in the world is very small.
2. A targeted charter is organized to transport certain groups of passengers for specific purposes - these are athletes, fans, pilgrims, congressmen, participants in conferences and symposiums, etc. Most often, this type of charter is ordered and partially paid for by large organizations, since these categories of people form stable tourist flows at certain periods of time.
3. An inclusive charter is organized and paid for by a travel agency, and the cost of the ticket is included in the cost of the tour. The flight is quite cheap for tourists. This type of charter is the most popular in the air transportation market.
4. A block charter is an organization of transportation when there are not enough tourists to fill the plane completely, and a travel company can book some of the seats for the season on a flight route.
5. Non-target charter is a transportation in which a group of air passengers is selected regardless of the purpose of the trip. The organizers of this type of transportation are most often transport companies.
6. Split charter is the most complex type of passenger transportation, which is carried out on regular and irregular flights on different sections of the route.

Transportation services include ground services in preparation for the flight: check-in of passengers and baggage, waiting for the flight, escort to the aircraft, security, as well as the actual air transportation or flight. At the end of the flight, passengers disembark, baggage is collected and transferred to the destination.

On-board services include nominal services included in the air ticket price and additional ones. The range of services provided by airlines primarily depends on the class of service.

All airlines in the world usually have three classes of service:

First class (the letter indicates the class code):

- R - supersonic aircraft, first class;
- P - first class "premium";
- A - first class with a discount.

Business Class:

- J - business class "premium";
- C - business class;
- D, Z - business class with a discount.

Economy class:

- W - premium economy class;
- S, Y - economic class;
- B, H, K, L, M, N, Q, T, V, X - economy class with a discount.

Check-in and pre-boarding screening. Before boarding the plane, passengers and baggage are checked in at the airport. This procedure is governed by international rules and regulations.

Before or after registration is carried out customs control, examination hand luggage and personal belongings, then for international flights - border control(checking passports and visas). Most of the time is spent on customs control, interviewing each passenger with a security representative, random inspection, baggage check-in and crossing endless tunnels and corridors. Passengers with hand luggage, traveling only in first and business class, stand out in particular: they can use check-in by phone and arrive 20 minutes, and on local lines - 10 minutes before flight departure.

Escort. The passenger aircraft is served by the flight crew and flight attendants of the airline. The personnel serving tourists on board an airliner are flight attendants and stewards. Sometimes up to 20 people or more service personnel work on board Airbuses at the same time. Security personnel are sometimes included as escorts.

Nutrition. On short flights, where the flight essentially consists of takeoff and landing, passengers are given lollipops or sweets, soft drinks, juices, mineral water, tea and coffee. If the flight time exceeds 3 hours, all passengers are provided with mandatory special meals.

Connection. In general, it is prohibited to use non-standard radios, tape recorders and telephones, including cellular communications, and computers on board an aircraft. Modern airliners use a special telephone connection. On modern passenger planes An on-board power supply is provided for connecting a portable computer such as a laptop.

Toilet. There are toilets on board the aircraft for passengers and crew. Usually in the passenger compartment there is a light display indicating whether the toilet is occupied or free. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the toilets.

Blankets. On long night flights, passengers can recline their seats and sleep. For convenience, light blankets are provided to those who wish. Blankets are stored in luggage compartments on the ceiling above the cabin seats.

Extreme conditions. Some, especially during takeoff and landing or when the plane is shaking in turbulent air currents, experience nausea and dizziness. Special hygiene bags are provided for them. In case of oxygen deficiency, individual oxygen devices are available.

Registration formalities. This procedure is carried out at the registration desk. Simultaneously with passenger check-in, baggage is processed and accepted for transportation. The registration start time is usually indicated on the ticket. The passenger registration procedure includes the following operations: checking the air ticket and passenger documents; reconciliation of ticket data with document data; checking the contents of the ticket and its authenticity and validity; checking the passenger's name with the list of passengers on the flight and making a note on the passenger registration form.

After these operations are completed, a certain seat in the aircraft cabin is reserved for the passenger. Passenger registration ends 40 minutes before departure international flight and 25-30 minutes before domestic departure. A passenger who arrives late for check-in may not be allowed to board the flight, and a refund will be subject to the collection of all applicable fees.

Customs formalities. Customs inspection of passengers can be carried out both before and during check-in. The task of customs inspection is to prevent the export from the country of a large amount of currency, products made of precious metals and stones, objects of art that are of great value and prohibited for export and transportation in the aircraft cabin or in the luggage compartment, and other objects and substances.

The import and export of Russian rubles is permitted only in amounts up to 50,000 rubles. All other amounts must be declared indicating the source of such amounts. Foreign currency can be exported from Russia in amounts up to 3 thousand dollars, large amounts must be declared. Amounts of 10 thousand dollars. It is prohibited to import or export more.

Before the start of customs inspection, the passenger must fill out a declaration. At the airport, two corridors can be allocated for customs inspection - “green” and “red”.

Passport and visa formalities. For domestic transportation, a passport or birth certificate is required (for children under 14 years of age). For international transportation, a properly issued international passport is required.

A visa is a document that allows a specific person to enter the territory of a given state, exit from the territory of a given state, or travel through it.

Flight safety control. Special flight safety control is carried out by the airport and carrier security services. It consists of checking hand luggage and luggage of passengers. Pre-flight inspection Passenger baggage and hand luggage are checked in a special place - a special control zone - immediately before boarding the aircraft.

Boarding and disembarking passengers. The first to board are the disabled, the elderly and children. If there is one ramp, economy class passengers board first, then business class passengers, and lastly, first class passengers. If there are two ladders, boarding is carried out separately. VIP passengers are the last to board the plane. The number of passengers simultaneously on the ramp should not exceed eight people.

Business aviation- specially equipped comfortable aircraft designed to serve VIPs (bankers, merchants, ambassadors, millionaires). The cabins of business aviation aircraft are equipped in such a way that they periodically replace the office or lounge area.

The operating principles of business carriers are approximately the same. Calculating the cost of a VIP class flight ordered by a client takes carriers from 2 hours to a day (in particularly difficult cases). Then the contract for the charter flight is drawn up and the invoice is paid. The standards for such service include: separate paperwork (no queues), the ability to contact partners by fax or telephone, and many necessary little things.

International air transportation can be: commercial (carried out by civil aircraft for a fee) and non-commercial (free).

At international air traffic Passengers, luggage, cargo and mail can be carried. The carriage of passengers, baggage and cargo is regulated by bilateral and multilateral agreements, as well as the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International air transport(Warsaw Convention 1929). International air transportation of mail is carried out in compliance with the rules of international postal agreements.

Flights on international airlines can be classified according to the form of their execution:

On a regular basis (carried out in accordance with the terms of air services agreements between states);

For irregular flights (operated on the basis of special permits for one-time flights):

a. additional,

b. special,

c. charter.

Regular flights - these are flights operated in accordance with the published schedule on contractual airlines. The schedule indicates the flight route, intermediate landing points, departure and arrival times at each route point, frequency and type of aircraft. Changes to these conditions for the operation of scheduled flights can only be made with the mutual consent of the contracting states.

Scheduled air transportation is paid at international aviation tariffs, published and unpublished.

Published (end-to-end) tariffs are tariffs and charges from the departure airport to the destination airport, placed in tariff books. If there is a published (through) tariff between two points, then transportation should be carried out only at this tariff.

2. in the absence of a proportional tariff - by adding up the sectional tariffs of individual through sections of transportation in compliance with the relevant rules for constructing tariffs.

Most existing tariffs are not published, they are not in tariff directories and other official tariff publications. Moreover, each airline develops its own unofficial tariffs, which are mostly closed and constitute a commercial secret of the airline.

Regulates international aviation tariffs International Association air transport (IATA). Official international air fares are published in directories .

The APT Passenger Fares Guide publishes all official international passenger air fares, as well as the rules that govern the construction and application of fares, discounts, fees and transportation routes.

The rates and fees contained in this directory, as well as excursion rates, including the inclusive tour (ART-IT), are indicated per passenger and are applicable to air transportation on the routes specified in the directory, from the airport of departure to the airport of destination. In addition, they include rates for transit fees, ground transportation fees, and other fees imposed by government agencies.

The ACT Air Cargo Tariff Guide contains all the rules for constructing and applying cargo tariffs on global airlines. In addition, the “Rules by Country” section indicates the specifics of freight transportation in each country of the world.

Freight tariffs specified in the directory apply only for transportation from the point of departure to the point of destination and do not include fees for delivery of goods to the airport of departure, storage of goods, their insurance, customs formalities, etc.

Typically, international air fares are set bilaterally through agreements between airlines operating the same routes. But many airlines operate on the same route. In addition, tariffs established between certain points affect the interests of airlines operating flights on adjacent airlines. Therefore, international tariffs go beyond bilateral agreements between airlines and form a complex system, including different types of tariffs for transport between two points or more.

The system of international air tariffs is also influenced by a number of factors: the distance between points, the demand for transportation, tariffs offered by other modes of transport, the availability of charter transportation, the imbalance of air transportation by destination, the different interests of carriers, agents, senders and passengers.

All these factors are taken into account by IATA when developing the international air fares system. The tariff system and the rules for their construction and application are developed by IATA member airlines at air transportation conferences, which are usually held once every two years.

International aviation fares can be divided into:

Passenger;

Luggage;

Freight.

The system for determining passenger tariffs will be discussed further.

Baggage rate- the free baggage allowance, both checked and unchecked, which is determined by the class of service. For first class it is 30 kg, for economy class - 20 kg. Depending on the class of service, this rule applies to all passengers who have a ticket paying at least 50% of the fare.

Baggage carried in excess of the free baggage allowance is subject to payment by the passenger. The baggage fare per 1 kg is determined as 1% of the direct normal through fare of first class in one direction applied on a given route, regardless of the class the passenger is traveling on.

There are also special baggage rates for certain categories of baggage (sports equipment, diplomatic baggage, etc.).

Freight rates on international air routes are divided into three types:

Basic: normal (up to 45 kg), quantitative (more than 45 kg), minimum collection;

Class;

Special.

Basic tariffs - these are standard tariffs established for payment for transportation of 1 kg of cargo from the point of departure to the point of destination. They are the most common when transporting all types of cargo, with the exception of some cases when preferential special and class tariffs are applied.

Normal rates are basic for determining discounts or surcharges when creating class, quantitative and special tariffs. Their advantage is ease of use.

Quantitative tariffs mainly used by airlines operating large-capacity aircraft. They provide a discount for additional weight categories. For example, for a weight category of 45 kg a discount from the normal tariff of 25% is provided. The number of weight categories varies in different transportation zones. For Europe, only one weight category is established - 45 kg, and on routes in the direction North America weight categories of 100, 300, 500 kg are allowed, for which discounts are provided in the amount of 50, 60 and 70%, respectively, of the normal tariff.

Minimum fee represents the minimum payment for sending cargo, charged for one shipment in the event that the payment for transportation at the normal freight tariff is lower than the minimum fee. The minimum fee varies on different routes. In many cases, it is equal to the cost of transporting a cargo weighing 5 kg at the normal rate. The minimum fee is indicated in tariff directories with the designation “M”.

Class tariffs used to transport goods of a certain class. They are expressed as a certain percentage of the normal freight rate up to 45 kg. Class tariffs are established for types of cargo that require special conditions for transportation: live animals; animal cages; valuable cargo; human remains in a coffin; unaccompanied baggage; printed materials, etc.

Class rates are calculated based on the normal through rate up to 45 kg, which is multiplied by the appropriate percentage surcharge, then the rounded result is multiplied by the weight of the shipment.

The percentage surcharge depends on the class of cargo and transportation zone and ranges from 150 to 300% of the normal freight rate up to 45 kg. For example, for the transport of valuable cargo (gold, platinum, precious stones, banknotes, securities, etc.) a charge of 200% of the normal freight rate up to 45 kg is charged for all association zones.

Special rates (koreits) - These are preferential discounted freight rates. They are used to transport certain categories of cargo from/to certain points in one direction only. Koreyts have an advantage over all other tariffs. They are published along with the main freight rates in the ACT Yellow Pages and are coded numerically to identify the nature of the load. The koreyt code number consists of a four-digit number next to the name of the cargo, for example: koreyt 4499 - machines and parts, 0007 - vegetables and fruits, etc.

Discounts provided for the use of coreite vary depending on the area of application. So, in Europe they range from 40 to 70% of the normal tariff up to 45 kg, and for North Atlantic transportation - up to 90%.

The application of special cargo tariffs is agreed upon between the airlines jointly operating a given airline. All proposals for establishing a core are submitted to the IATA Core Committee, which considers these proposals at its core meetings three times a year.

Special airline marketing services monitor the state of global aviation tariffs and issue recommendations on their application to commercial directors and their representative offices abroad. Based on these recommendations, a tariff policy is developed aimed at ensuring the load and profitability of international airlines. Also being developed practical recommendations on the construction and application of all types of passenger and cargo air tariffs, especially special and preferential ones in order to increase load on airline flights, especially during off-season periods when there is a decline in traffic.

Thus, special freight tariffs (korates) are used to attract additional freight traffic, which would not be feasible without their use, as well as to attract additional categories of cargo. Since, as already noted, rates are established for a certain type of cargo between certain points, they mainly activate additional demand. This is their elasticity compared to other types of tariffs.

An important feature of special freight tariffs is that they can be set at any time of the year and for any period, without waiting for decisions of the IATA conference, so their use helps to ensure additional load.

The use of discounts on freight tariffs is also one of the tools for influencing the market. The size of the discounts is set depending on the IATA zones, for example in Europe they range from 40 to 70% of the normal tariff. Their size depends on factors such as the nature and value of the cargo, potential demand for transportation, the size of individual shipments, processing costs, and the degree of impact on the ratio of income and transportation costs. The carrying capacity of the aircraft operated by the airline and the expected flow of cargo that may occur if preferential tariffs are established are also taken into account.

Non-scheduled air services are carried out on the basis of permits for one-time flights and are divided into additional, special and charter.

Additional flights - These are flights operated on the same airlines as regular ones, but on a special schedule. Additional flight may be carried out with the consent of the partner, provided that commercial transportation cannot be carried out on regular flights. An additional flight, as a rule, is operated on the same day as the regular one, but in any case not later and not earlier than 24 hours from the time of the regular flight indicated in the flight schedule.

Special flights - These are flights performed with a special mission, both along the route of regular flights and on a special route. As a rule, permission to operate special flights is requested through diplomatic channels.

Charter flights - These are flights operated in accordance with a special contract between the carrier and the customer.

Currently, non-scheduled traffic accounts for about 18% of total international traffic. The total volume of international non-scheduled traffic worldwide is the sum of the volume carried by charter carriers and the volume carried by scheduled carriers. Like regular, international non-scheduled transportation is divided into passenger and postal cargo.

The largest in the world is the international market of irregular (charter) transportation, providing transportation between 22 Western European countries that are members of the European Conference civil aviation(ECAC). In this case, the volume of irregular traffic is comparable to the volume of regular traffic. Charter services in Europe operate over longer distances than scheduled services, so the volume of charter services in passenger kilometers is about 60% of the total volume passenger air transportation in Western Europe. Second in capacity after Western Europe considered to be the international charter market across the North Atlantic.

Irregular transportation is carried out as specialized charter airlines, and regular airlines.

All charter flights are performed on the basis of a special agreement (contract) between the customer and the carrier. As a rule, the customer purchases the entire capacity of the aircraft on certain stages of transportation and under certain conditions. He has the right to use the capacity of the chartered aircraft at his discretion. Orders for charter transportation are used both for individual flights and for a series of flights for targeted transportation, for example, for transportation between points not connected by regular airlines.

According to the method of organization, air charter transportation is classified into the following types.

Closed charter - non-commercial transportation, the customer of which is, as a rule, an organization to deliver its employees to their place of work, business meeting or recreation. The customer directly contacts the airline and the trip is organized at prices agreed upon between them. The share of this type of charter transportation is currently declining.

Efinity charter - semi-commercial (semi-closed) targeted trip organized for its members by clubs or associations that unite people of the same profession or a certain community of interests (sports clubs, veterans’ unions, etc.). The management of the club or association, independently or through a travel agency, enters into an agreement with the airline, acting as legal entity with financial responsibility and the obligation to comply with the rules established by IATA for the formation of groups of passengers.

Inclusive tour charter - commercial tourist transportation (charter transportation on an inclusive tour), the cost of which includes payment for round-trip transportation and the cost of excursion and personal services during the tour. A special feature of an inclusive tour charter is that the entire aircraft is rented and, at the same time as transportation, ground handling must be paid for for a certain period, usually at least 7-14 days between departure and return.

At block charter transportation Not the entire plane is rented, but only a certain part of it - an established block of seats (usually 30-40 seats). As a rule, a block of seats is sold on an aircraft operating a scheduled flight, but the charter price of each seat in this case is significantly lower than the minimum published fare. The block of seats on each flight and the price of one seat are negotiated confidentially between the carrier and the travel agency. The travel agency pays for the block of seats in full, regardless of whether it is all used or not. Block charter transportation is organized mainly in the off-season (autumn-winter period) in order to provide additional load on scheduled aircraft.

Non-purpose commercial charter (non-efinite charter) - new type charter (introduced in 1972 in the USA). In contrast to the eternal charter, in which persons are grouped according to common interests, in this case it is allowed to unite in a group for transportation any persons wishing to travel, regardless of their affiliation with any organization or club. The group must be at least 50 people. Flight participants pay 25% of the cost charter transportation 6 months before the start of transportation, and 30 days before departure, the travel agency organizing charter transportation must fully pay the cost of the flight for a group of 40 passengers. Currently, non-efinity charter has become widespread, especially in transatlantic transport due to the lifting of strict restrictions on the formation of groups transported by charter flights.

Pro rate charter, or split charter, - a type of charter in which transportation is carried out in stages. On the first leg of the flight, transportation is carried out on scheduled aircraft in accordance with IATA rules; on the second or subsequent leg, charter transportation itself begins on the terms of a block charter or inclusive tour charter. With a split charter, it is possible to combine different groups of passengers, and the final destination of their route may be different.

From the point of view of aircraft use, air charter transportation can be divided into three types:

1. one-time “round trip” transportation - a type of charter transportation in which a travel agency or organization rents an aircraft to transport one or more groups of passengers, related by type of occupation or interests, at a certain time. In this case, in the interval between charter flights, the airline leasing the aircraft can use this aircraft for its own needs;

2. time charter - a type of operation in which an aircraft is rented for a certain period, coming at the full disposal of the lessee. In this case, the organization, concluding an agreement with the carrier, pays in full for the entire time during which the aircraft will be at its disposal, based on the norms of flight hours, the cost of a flight hour and an hour of aircraft downtime. Currently, time charter operations are becoming increasingly widespread in mass tourism, since they satisfy both the requirements of carriers, who do not have to use the aircraft between individual flights and are provided with guaranteed payment for the aircraft, and the requirements of lessees who strive for the most economical use airplanes;

3. charter chain - a type of targeted transportation of a large number of passengers to a destination and back; In this case, flights are carried out using a shuttle system. The customer travel agency, as a rule, sends one of its groups of tourists in advance to the point where the tour is conducted, so that by the time the charter chain begins, the tour of this group will end and it can be transported by charter flight in the opposite direction. With a charter chain, the number of idle runs is reduced and the economic efficiency of transportation increases.

There is literally no charter rate. The customer is announced the charter price of an aircraft for transportation on a certain area or, in the case of a time charter, the price of chartering an aircraft for a certain time. The charter price of an aircraft is calculated based on the cost of a flight hour for a given type of aircraft. Some Western airlines use the cost of 1 km (mile) of flight as a basis. In addition to the cost of a flight hour or mile, when determining the charter price of a flight, existing normal preferential tariffs, transportation routes chosen by the customer, the urgency of transportation, as well as the season and time of day, operating conditions of regular airlines, if they exist in the area, and the conditions of the country's passenger market are taken into account. , from which the application came, and the possibility of competition from other airlines. Based on all these factors, the preliminary charter price of the aircraft is established, which is offered to the customer, and the cost of one seat on the charter aircraft, which is not announced to the clients.

In the case of selling for charter transportation not the entire capacity of the aircraft, but part of the seats on a scheduled aircraft (block charter), the number of seats sold at the charter price (block of seats) and the price of one seat in the block (block charter tariff) are established. Block charter rates are used to sell available aircraft capacity on scheduled flights, especially in the off-season (autumn-winter period). The block of seats is set depending on the line load within 30-40 seats per flight.

A block of seats is sold as a whole, regardless of whether it is completely filled by the customer or remains free places. Block charter rates are the lowest rates. They are determined depending on the passenger market conditions and, as a rule, are revised annually. Block charter rates are not announced to anyone: for each company organizing tourist transportation, they are set confidentially, specifically in each case, depending on the number of seats required by this company.

The block charter rate is usually set for transportation in both directions (“round trip”).

Domestic air transport- air transportation in which the point of departure, the point of destination and all intended stops are located on the territory of the same state. The conditions of domestic air transportation and the responsibility of the carrier are determined by the national legislation of the relevant country.

International air transport- air transportation in which the place of departure and the place of destination, regardless of whether there was an overload or interruption in transportation, are located:

· on the territory of two states;

· on the territory of the same state, if a stop is planned on the territory of another state.

International air transportation can be either commercial (carried out by civil vessels for a fee) or non-commercial (free of charge).

International air traffic can carry passengers, baggage, cargo and mail. These transportations are regulated by the Air Code of Ukraine, bilateral and multilateral agreements, as well as the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Air Transportation (Warsaw Convention of 1929, Hague Protocol of 1955, etc.). International air transportation of mail is carried out in compliance with the rules of international postal agreements.

An international flight is any flight in which an aircraft crosses the state borders of two or more states.

Flights on international airlines, according to the form of their execution, are classified into regular, carried out in accordance with the terms of air services agreements between states, and irregular, carried out on the basis of special permits for one-time flights.

Regular flights are carried out in accordance with the published schedule for contractual airlines based on air services agreements between contracting states. The schedule indicates the flight route, intermediate landing points, departure and arrival times, and each route point, frequency and type of aircraft. Changes to these conditions for the operation of regular flights can only be made with the mutual consent of the contracting countries.

Not regular flights performed on a one-time or group basis in accordance with special permission. They, in turn, are divided into additional, special and charter.

Additional flights are operated on the same airlines as regular ones, but on a special schedule. An additional flight may be carried out with the partner's consent, provided that the load cannot be carried on the partners' scheduled flights. An additional flight, as a rule, is operated on the same day as the regular one, but in any case not later and not earlier than 24 hours from the time of the regular flight indicated in the flight schedule.

Special flights are carried out with a special task both on the route of regular flights and on a special route. As a rule, permission to operate special flights is requested through diplomatic channels.

Charter flights are performed on on a commercial basis in accordance with a special charter agreement between the carrier (charterer) and the customer (charterer). Transportation on an irregular commercial basis is called air freight transportation.

The above classification of international flights according to the form of flight operations must be supplemented by a classification according to the purpose of the flight, according to which flights are divided into flights for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Flight of an aircraft for commercial purposes- this is the flight and landing of an aircraft:

· to the point provided for in the flight schedule or a one-time permit, to which the carrier has commercial rights, regardless of changes in the commercial load of the aircraft;

· to a point not provided for by the schedule or a one-time permit (alternate airport) with a change in commercial load without continuing the further flight to the destination according to the schedule.

Flight of an aircraft for non-commercial purposes- this is the flight and landing of an aircraft:

· to a point provided for by the schedule, but to/from which the carrier does not have commercial rights (technical landing) and the commercial load of the aircraft remains unchanged;

· to an alternate airfield, provided that the commercial load remains unchanged;

· during flights of aircraft of government departments that do not have a paid commercial load on board;

· during flights of search and rescue vessels;

· during test and training flights;

· forced landings vessels due to malfunction of the material part, in case of violence or other reasons, but subject to the same commercial load.

4.2 Commercial rights and “freedom of the air”

All scheduled flights are operated on a commercial basis for the carriage of passengers, baggage, mail and cargo and are subject to either an intergovernmental air services agreement between two countries or a special government permit issued on a temporary basis pending the conclusion of an air services agreement. A special place in bilateral agreements is occupied by the issue of commercial rights when flying on agreed routes.

Commercial rights, in international air transportation, mean the right to transport commercial cargo during scheduled flights, granted to the carrier by government authorities of those countries to, from or through which international flights are carried out. Commercial rights are usually specified in intergovernmental air services agreements.

Protecting the interests of their national carriers, states, whenever possible, seek to limit or even prohibit airlines of other countries from operating transportation between their territory and third countries in cases where their national airline itself operates flights to the relevant country.

In some cases, commercial rights are limited even in relation to transport between points located in the territory of contracting countries, when the right to transport is limited to certain objects.

The use of commercial rights on intermediate legs of long-haul airlines with many landing points in different countries is of great commercial interest to the airlines operating these airlines and has an impact on big influence to improve the economic efficiency of these lines.

Until recently, international air law divided commercial rights into five “freedoms of the air.” The definition of the concepts of “freedom of air” was first given in the Agreement on International Air Transport, signed on December 7, 1944 in Chicago (Chicago Conference 1944) Art. 1 paragraph 1 of the agreement states that each contracting state guarantees to the other contracting states the following “freedoms of the air” relating to scheduled international air services:

1st "freedom of air"- the right to carry out transit flights over its territory without landing;

2 - I "freedom of air"- priority right to land with non-commercial

3 - I "freedom of air"- the right to disembark passengers, unload mail and cargo taken on board in the territory of the state whose flag the aircraft flies;

4 - I "freedom of air"- the right to accept passengers, mail and cargo on board an aircraft on foreign territory for transportation to the territory of the state whose flag the aircraft has;

5 - I "freedom of air"- the right to transport passengers, mail, and cargo into the territory of any other contracting state and the right to disembark passengers, remove mail and cargo delivered from any state. In addition to the 5th “freedom of air” in its pure form, in the practice of international air transportation, a partial 5th “freedom of air”, or the so-called “stop-over” is also used.

· "Stop-over" - a stop at an intermediate point with the right to further transport passengers who made a stop in this country. A distinction is made between "on-route stop-over" and "off-route stop-over".

· “Stop-over on the route” - the right of the airline to transport passengers with a stop at the stopover point. The stop can be made for a period from one day to one year (during the validity period of the air ticket). After stopping, transportation can be continued until final destination only by the carrier that delivered the passenger to the intermediate point.

· “Off-route stop-over” - the right to transport passengers to an intermediate point by one carrier, and from an intermediate point by another, on the same air ticket."

6th Freedom of the Air- the right to transport passengers, cargo and mail between third countries through the territory of the state in which the carrier is domiciled;

It is customary to highlight another “freedom of air” - the right of cabotage transportation within the country. However, cabotage is generally reserved for national carriers.

Thus, the first feature of the commercial operation of international air lines is the international legal regulation of air transportation. In addition to the already mentioned intergovernmental agreements on air services between states, regulation of air transportation is also carried out by interdepartmental documents on civil aviation issues of contracting states, which are concluded between departments in the field air transport. In addition to intergovernmental agreements and interdepartmental documents, the economic conditions for the operation of international airlines are also determined by bilateral agreements at the airline level and other commercial agreements, in particular agreements between airlines and their transportation sales agents, etc.

The main commercial agreements are agreements on commercial cooperation, agreements on the registration of air transportation, agreements on the general agent, etc. The basis of such agreements is the payment of commissions and in excess of commissions for providing commercial load and selling transportation on flights of the relevant airlines.

In addition to the above, regulation of international air transportation is carried out at the multilateral level through the mechanism of various international conventions in the field of civil aviation, as well as international air transport organizations, the main of which are the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). States that have joined ICAO undertake to promote in every possible way the successful and profitable operation of international airlines. Economic relations between airlines at the multilateral level are regulated by IATA tariffs and regulations.

Related information.

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✪ Legal regulation of air cargo transportation. International conventions

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Classification

Air transportation is usually classified by direction, cargo category and type of loading.

Simple transportation

Also called “general transportation” - they involve the transportation of general cargo to the destination, and the customer of such a service is the owner of the goods being transported. The main advantage of general transportation is high efficiency.

Associated transportation

Associated transportation involves the use of free transport traveling in the required direction. The advantage of this format of cargo transportation is its low cost.

Shuttle transportation

Main article: Shuttle transportation

In aviation, this format is accepted for transporting passengers. A distinctive feature of shuttle transportation is the return vehicle to the point of departure without passengers on board.

Groupage transportation

Consolidated transportation is the most common format for transporting piece goods, in which goods from various senders are consolidated in a warehouse and sent as their optimal volume accumulates. They are characterized by low transportation costs.

Classification of special cargo

The current “Guide to Freight Transportation on Domestic Air Lines of the USSR” (RGP-85) contains references to special (special) conditions of transportation: “Some types of cargo (perishable, dangerous, radioactive, animals, etc.) are also accepted for transportation by air. ), which require special transportation conditions (clause 2.4.3) This document contains the following points: - Transportation of heavy and oversized cargo (clause 2.9), - Transportation of perishable goods (clause 2.16), - Transportation of dangerous goods and radioactive materials. (clause 2.17), - Transportation of living creatures (clause 2.18), - Transportation of self-propelled and tracked vehicles (clause 2.19), - Transportation of coffins with the dead (clause 2.20). Classification of special cargo. (undefined) .

Passenger air transportation

Passenger aircraft carry out transportation of passengers and mail, making regular (or irregular) flights.

Aircraft flying without passengers or cargo, the so-called Empty Leg, are rented at a price significantly lower than the cost of the flight.

Air cargo transportation

Rules for air cargo transportation

According to the rules for air cargo transportation (Federal Law “On Transport and Forwarding Activities” dated June 30, 2003 No. 87-FZ and the Warsaw Convention on International Carriage by Air (Montreal, May 28, 1999)), cargo is accepted for transportation only if available a correctly executed freight bill.

Cargo transportation on international airlines can be carried out on passenger and cargo aircraft.
Cargo exceeding the established limits in weight and dimensions may be accepted for transportation only with the consent of the carrier.
Cargo accepted for international transportation is subject to the following rules:

import and export, transit of cargo must be permitted by the laws and regulations of the country to the territory, from the territory or through the territory of which transportation is carried out;
the dimensions of the cargo must ensure its free loading and unloading, placement in the luggage and cargo compartments of aircraft and its securing;
when transported on scheduled passenger aircraft, the weight and dimensions of cargo must not exceed the limits established by regulations;
all required documents must be attached to the cargo;
The cargo must not create a danger for the aircraft, people and property on it, and also, due to its properties, must not create inconvenience for passengers.

Legislation in the field of air transportation

Intercity and international air transportation is regulated by a number of regulatory documents, which can be divided into several groups.
The first of them is documents of state regulation of aviation, including relevant laws, certification standards and licensing rules.
The second category is aviation regulations operating at the federal level.
The third group of regulatory documents is the internal Russian rules for the carriage of passengers and cargo transportation using aircraft.

Separately, it is worth noting the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944 and the Warsaw Convention for the Unification of Rules for Air Transport of 1929. These documents have been ratified by most countries of the world and are mandatory for implementation in Russia. Also, legal settlement is carried out according to Federal aviation regulations No. 136/42/51 of March 31, 2002 and the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (Geneva, May 19, 1956). Indirect payments for the clearance of goods at customs are fees for issuing licenses, qualification certificates, storage of goods in a customs warehouse and their transportation.

Air traffic volume statistics

At the end of 2011, the air cargo transportation market in Russia amounted to 5.9%, transportation amounted to 981 thousand tons of cargo and mail, the increase in cargo turnover was 5%, which amounted to more than 4.9 billion ton-km. Comparing the first quarter of 2012 with the same period in 2011, data from the statistical agency showed positive dynamics in air cargo transportation, with an overall increase in cargo turnover amounting to 10.2%. The volume of cargo transportation was 224,742.52 tons, an increase of 8.9%.

In 2013, according to data from global analytical agencies, in particular IATA (International Air Transport Association statistics), a decline in the growth of air cargo traffic was recorded. According to experts, the decline is caused primarily by the general decline in the global economy. Accordingly, airlines are reducing capacity, trying to normalize load factors and maintain the planned profitability of air cargo, despite rising fuel prices.

In the international system that has developed over the past decades, the transportation of goods occupies a significant place. Compared to other common methods of transporting them - by means of iron, highways, river, maritime transport– international air cargo transportation is the youngest: it appeared only in the 20s of the last century and has its own unique specificity, depending on many factors.

How to properly carry out international air transportation.

What are the benefits of international air cargo transportation?

Compared to other formats of cargo transportation, their international one is not the largest due to high tariffs. According to statistics, it accounts for only 1% of the total weight of transported goods and 10% of their value. However, it has a number of advantages that are often unique to it. The main ones of these advantages are the following:

Air transportation has become the fastest mode of cargo transportation. The time of their movement through the air cannot be compared with any of the other traditional options used by people. Only thanks to air transportation, for example, many types of food products, other perishable products, fresh flowers, etc. would be practically absent from the markets of many countries. The enormous speed of cargo transportation makes it possible to very quickly move medical supplies from one place to another, which are often in dire need of seriously ill patients. .
Due to the speed of air transportation, the risks of transporting rare goods - such as jewelry, works of art, etc. - are minimized.
The amount of insurance premiums for air transportation is usually 2 times less than for sea transportation. For comparison: they constitute, respectively, 0.3% and 0.7% of the cost of the transported cargo.
Customs duties may be levied on the gross weight of the cargo, which is lower for air transport than for sea transport.
When transporting by air, the lightest, cheapest packaging options are almost always used.
Such transportation is almost always more profitable than sea or rail from a warehouse point of view. Often, with this method of transportation, cargo does not need to be stored at all - after unloading, it is sent directly from the airport to its destination, which avoids unnecessary costs for paying for warehousing of goods.

These and other advantages of air transportation make it possible to save significant amounts of money on cargo transportation, significantly compensating for the higher cost of this type of transportation.

How does air transportation work?

Powerful modern air transport has made international air cargo transportation quite commonplace, typical for most operating airports, and their scale and intensity are growing every year. More and more air transport routes are constantly being opened, and cargo transportation practices are being improved. Clear algorithms for such transportation have been developed everywhere, among the features of which are the following:

air cargo is delivered by passenger plane along with the luggage of those traveling on the plane;
The practice of moving cargo using combined aircraft equipped with special cargo compartments is also widespread;
large volume of transportation, especially if carried out by powerful freight trucks aircraft, among them there are many real giants (for example, the famous Boeing 747 F is capable of taking on board and taking off with a cargo weighing 100 tons or more);
if necessary, special cargo flights are organized, including charter and group flights: this technique is widespread when it is necessary to provide assistance to victims of a natural disaster or epidemic, in force majeure situations, military operations, and in other urgent cases.

International air transportation standards

The key international guidelines for air cargo transportation are flight safety, reliability and guaranteed delivery of any cargo to the required location. Each aviation country practicing this business has its own system developments, the purpose of which is to harmonize with similar standards in other countries. In order to bring all these numerous formats, which often have many serious differences from each other, to a common denominator, specialists from IATA - the International Air Transport System - had to resort to creating a unified safety audit system for aviation structures in 2003.

It is known among air carriers as the international IOSA standard, the requirements of which must be met by every member of the association, without exception. This standard compares favorably with similar systems in many countries due to its consistency, minimization of risks depending on the personal factor, a clear feedback system, reduction in insurance and leasing costs, a noticeably reduced number of various checks, audits, strict requirements for employees, and their remarkable skill and other aspects.

Accompanying documents

To move cargo by air transport and receive it in each specific case, a set of special documents relating to these cargoes and accompanying them is required. Without such documentation they will not be accepted at any airport. This group of main target documents is drawn up in the form:

Invoices. This is what is called an invoice indicating the cost of the goods. Often the invoice also acts as a delivery note. Most often, it is issued to the buyer by the seller of the goods. There is also a proforma invoice containing data on the price of the goods; however, this format does not represent, as in the first case, a payment document.
Packing lists. Here they indicate each position of the cargo, the diagram of its location in transport places, the weight of each of such places, dimensions, and other information.
Freight bills. The prerogative to issue them belongs to the sender of the cargo, confirming his agreement with the one who acts as the cargo carrier. The important legal role of the cargo waybill is evidenced by the fact that if disagreements or disputes arise regarding the responsibility of the sender of the cargo and the carrier, it is the basic one, and penalties are assessed on its basis.
Cargo manifests. The purpose of this document is to optimize the unloading process in transit airports. Here we provide data on the cargo transported on each specific flight, obtained from the waybills for each cargo shipment. Moreover, a separate cargo manifest is required at each unloading point.
Safety data sheets, which are issued when transporting dangerous goods (chemicals, bulk substances, liquids, etc.).
In post-Soviet countries, when sending goods outside their borders, export invoices are also issued.

In each specific case, the international air carriage agreement in force in the modern aviation space regulates the responsibility of the carrier. The content of such an agreement stipulates the fundamental aspects of transportation in real conditions, taking into account the specifics of different countries.

Which cargoes predominate?

Due to the specifics freight transportation By air transport, the predominant types of goods in practice are the following:

general;
dangerous;
valuable;
perishable;
heavy and large-sized;
requiring urgent delivery a short time(for example, medications);
animals that are not accompanied.

Process nuances

Despite well-established practice, which often provides for all important nuances, air transportation of cargo is sometimes accompanied by emergency situations, the solution to which has to be sought in the operating mode. Then a lot depends on the professionalism of those specialists who carry out these transportations, starting from the flight crew of the cargo board and ending with the control room, engineering, and other personnel who remotely help him carry out the flight. In recent decades, noticeable adjustments have emerged on a political basis due to the deterioration of the international situation in a number of regions of the planet.

Legal regulation and rules

The fundamental regulatory documents defining the legal framework for international air cargo transportation are the provisions of the Warsaw and Montreal (1999) conventions. These documents create the basis for the unification of the basic norms of international air transport. On their basis, many other normative documents of an international nature have also been created and are in force. They regulate the bulk of typical cases of cargo transportation, the extent and range of liability of their carriers and customers, etc. In particular, the carrier is released from liability for loss or damage to cargo if he can prove that this happened through the fault of the person who is demanding compensation for losses from cargo transportation.

One of key rules is that international air travel should not transport cargo that contributes to global terrorism, violence against humans and similar things: very strict legal penalties are provided for this.

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