How many there is a life of the air passenger?

Геннадий Андрющенко.

The Riga airport is intended to become the largest in Baltic. Means, the number of flights and number of passengers much more will increase.

- The history of insurance of air passengers has begun in 1929 when in Warsaw the convention establishing responsibility of an air carrier for a life of the passenger and integrity of its luggage has been accepted. It has been defined, that the air carrier guarantees payment for each lost passenger of 10 000 dollars and payment of 20 dollars for each kg of the luggage lost in accident.

In 1955 the rate has grown to 20 000 dollars. Have then realised, that the life of the passenger is invaluable, and in 1999 in Montreal have offered the new convention in which boundless responsibility for a life of the passenger is defined. That is how many the lawyer of the victim can demonstratively beat out from an air carrier, it is so much court and will force it to pay, though billion.

But! Decisions of the international conventions get a binding force only in case of its signing not less than 30 states. The Montreal convention of three ten states yet have not signed. Therefore since May, 2005 the European Union has entered the requirements to the air carriers making flights in territory of EU and between the EU countries. They are recognised by all states of the European Union.

Responsibility of a carrier before the third parties on the earth is defined by the maximum flight weight of the plane. For example, for the ultraeasy plane with the maximum flight weight 500 kg, responsibility – about one million dollars there are less. If the flight weight makes 500 tons responsibility makes 700 million. Theoretically such sum can be paid for a damage to the third persons on the earth, let us assume, to the plane has fallen to what houses. Without maintenance with insurance of such responsibility over territory of EU nobody has the rights to fly.

The air carrier bears separate responsibility before passengers. It about 370 000 dollars for each victim. But the victim not because of the pilot or because of technics refusal, and, for example, from hit of a bird in the engine. That is the court in this case cannot force to pay an air carrier more. In other cases if will fault of crew or land services is proved, the court can award both the big sum. And 1500 dollars more for each unit of the lost luggage.

As a rule, the carrier has no such money to pay consequences even one air crash. And to fly it is necessary… Then responsibility is adopted by the insurance companies. If the air carrier competently serves planes and flies on them with observance of specifications, provides safety of flights, he can гарантированно count on insurance protection. And if breaks – anybody will not insure its responsibility…