Chicago Convention

Signed December 7, 1944 and in force since April 4, 1947, the Convention gives each state sovereignty over its airspace, requires aircraft registration, airworthiness certificates and licensed crews, and obliges states to follow ICAO standards or notify differences. Scheduled international air services need permission from the states served, usually granted through bilateral air services agreements. Annex 18 governs the safe transport of dangerous goods by air, detailed in the ICAO Technical Instructions. The Convention has 193 parties.

The Convention is the international rulebook behind air cargo, which matters for cross-border e-commerce shipped by air. Traffic rights, cargo security standards and dangerous goods rules all flow from it. For example, a merchant shipping lithium battery products by air from Shenzhen to Los Angeles must comply with the ICAO Technical Instructions developed under Annex 18, which the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations put into airline practice. Bilateral agreements built on the Convention also decide which airlines can fly freighters on a given route.

• Lithium Battery ShippingShipping batteries under dangerous goods rules
• Hazardous Materials ShippinghazmatRegulated shipping of dangerous goods

• Montreal Convention1999, in force 2003 · Treaty on airline liability for cargo and passengers
• Warsaw Convention1929, in force 1933 · First treaty on airline liability for cargo
• IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR)1956, 67th edition 2026 · Airline manual for shipping dangerous goods by air

1. Convention on International Civil Aviation, Doc 7300, ICAO icao.int