Liability of the Compensation for Damage Caused by the International Passenger's Carrier by Air in Montreal Convention

몬트리올조약에 있어 국제항공여객운송인의 손해배상책임

The rule of the Warsaw Convention of 1929 are well known and still being all over the world. The Warsaw Convention is undoubtedly the most widely accepted private international air law treaty with some 140 countries. In the international legal system for air transportation, the Warsaw Convention has played a major role for more than half century, and has been revised many times in consideration of the rapid developments of air high technology, changes of social and economic circumstances, need for the protection of passengers. Some amendments became effective, but others are still not effective. As a result, the whole international legal system for air transportation is at past so complicated and tangled. However, the 'Warsaw system' consists of the Warsaw Convention of 1929 the Guadalajara Convention of 1961, a supplementary convention, and the following six protocols: (1) the Hague Protocol of 1955, (2) the Guatemala Protocol of 1971, (3) the Montreal Additional Protocols, No.1, (4) the Montreal Additional Protocol No.2, (5) the Montreal Additional Protocol No.3, and (6) the Montreal Additional Protocol No.4. of 1975. As a fundamental principle of the air carrier's liability in the international convention and protocols, for instance in the Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol, the principle of limited liability and a presumed fault system has been adopted. Subsequently, the Montreal Inter-carrier Agreement of 1966, the Guatemala City Protocol, the Montreal Additional Protocol No.3, and the Montreal Additional Protocol No. 4 of 1975 maintained the limited liability, but substituted the presumed liability system by an absolute liability, that is, strict liability system. The Warsaw System, which sets relatively low compensation limits for victims of aircraft accidents and regulates the limited liability for death and injury of air passengers, had become increasingly outdated. Japanese Airlines and Inter-carrier Agreement of International Air Transport Association in 1995 has been adopted the unlimited liability of air carrier in international flight. The IATA Inter-Carrier Agreement, in which airlines in international air transportation agree to waive the limit of damages, was long and hard in coming, but it was remarkable achievement given the political and economic realities of the world. IATA deserves enormous credit for bringing it about. The Warsaw System is controversial and questionable. In order to find rational solution to disputes between nations which adopted differing liability systems in international air transportation, we need to reform the liability of air carriers the 'Warsaw system' and fundamentally, to unify the liability system among the nations. The International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) will therefore reinforce its efforts to further promote a legal environment that adequately reflects the public interest and the needs of the parties involved. The ICAO Study Group met in April, 1998, together with the Drafting Committee. The time between the "Special Group on the Modernization and Consolidation of the 'Warsaw system'(SGMW)" and the Diplomatic Conference must be actively utilized to arrange for profound studies of the outstanding issues and for wide international consultations with a view to narrowing the scope of differences and preparing for a global international consensus. From 11 to 28 May 1999 the ICAO Headquarters at Montreal hosted a Diplomatic Conference convened to consider, with a view to adoption, a draft Convention intended to modernize and to integrate replace the instruments of the Warsaw system. The Council of ICAO convened this Conference under the Procedure for the Adoption of International Conventions. Some 525 participants from 121 Contracting States of ICAO attended, one non-contracting State, 11 observer delegations from international organizations, a total of 544 registered participants took part in the historic three-week conference which began on 10 May. The Conference was a success since it adopted a new Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air. The 1999 Montreal Convention, created and signed by representatives of 52 countries at an international conference convened by ICAO at Montreal on May 28, 1999, came into effect on November 4, 2003. Representatives of 30 countries have now formally ratified the Convention under their respective national procedures and ratification of the United States, which was the 30th country to ratify, took place on September 5, 2003. Under Article 53.6 of the Montreal Convention, it enters into force on the 60th day following the deposit of the 30th instrument of ratification or acceptation. The United States' ratification was deposited with ICAO on September 5, 2003. The ICAO have succeeded in modernizing and consolidating a 70-year old system of international instruments of private international law into one legal instrument that will provide, for years to come, an adequate level of compensation for those involved in international aircraft accidents. An international diplomatic conference on air law by ICAO of 1999 succeeded in adopting a new regime for air carrier liability, replacing the Warsaw Convention and five other related legal instruments with a single convention that provided for unlimited liability in relation to passengers. Victims of international air accidents and their families will be better protected and compensated under the new Montreal Convention, which modernizes and consolidates a seventy-five year old system of international instruments of private international law into one legal instrument. A major feature of the new legal instrument is the concept of unlimited liability. Whereas the Warsaw Convention set a limit of 125,000 Gold Francs (approximately US$ 8,300) in case of death or injury to passengers, the Montreal Convention introduces a two-tier system. The first tier includes strict liability up to l00,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR: approximately US$ 135,000), irrespective of a carrier's fault. The second tier is based on presumption of fault of a carrier and has no limit of liability. The 1999 Montreal Convention also includes the following main elements; 1. In cases of aircraft accidents, air carriers are called upon to provide advance payments, without delay, to assist entitled persons in meeting immediate economic needs; the amount of this initial payment will be subject to national law and will be deductable from the final settlement; 2. Air carriers must submit proof of insurance, thereby ensuring the availability of financial resources in cases of automatic payments or litigation; 3. The legal action for damages resulting from the death or injury of a passenger may be filed in the country where, at the time of the accident, the passenger had his or her principal and permanent residence, subject to certain conditions. The new Montreal Convention of 1999 included the 5th jurisdiction - the place of residence of the claimant. The acceptance of the 5th jurisdiction is a diplomatic victory for the US and it can be realistically expected that claimants' lawyers will use every opportunity to file the claim in the US jurisdiction - it brings advantages in the liberal system of discovery, much wider scope of compensable non-economic damages than anywhere else in the world and the jury system prone to very generous awards. 4. The facilitation in the recovery of damages without the need for lengthy litigation, and simplification and modernization of documentation related to passengers. In developing this new Montreal Convention, we were able to reach a delicate balance between the needs and interests of all partners in international civil aviation, States, the travelling public, air carriers and the transport industry. Unlike the Warsaw Convention, the threshold of l00,000 SDR specified by the Montreal Convention, as well as remaining liability limits in relation to air passengers and delay, are subject to periodic review and may be revised once every five years. The primary aim of unification of private law as well as the new Montreal Convention is not only to remove or to minimize the conflict of laws but also to avoid conflict of jurisdictions. In order to find a rational solution to disputes between nations which have adopted differing liability systems in international air transport, we need fundamentally to reform their countries's domestic air law based on the new Montreal Convention. It is a desirable and necessary for us to ratify rapidly the new Montreal Convention by the contracting states of lCAO including the Republic of Korea. According to the Korean and Japanese ideas, airlines should not only pay compensation to passengers immediately after the accident, but also the so-called 'condolence' money to the next of kin. Condolence money is a gift to help a dead person's spirit in the hereafter : it is given on account of the grief and sorrow suffered by the next of kin, and it has risen considerably over the years. The total amount of the Korean and Japanese claims in the case of death is calculated on the basis of the loss of earned income, funeral expenses and material demage (baggage etc.), plus condolence money. The economic and social change will be occurred continuously after conclusion of the new Montreal Convention. In addition, the real value of life and human right will be enhanced substantially. The amount of compensation for damage caused by aircraft accident has increased in dollar amount as well as in volume. All air carrier's liability should extend to loss of expectation of leisure activities, as well as to damage to property, and mental and physical injuries. When victims are not satisfied with the amount of the compensation for damage caused by aircraft accident for which an airline corporation is liable under the current liability system. I also would like to propose my opinion that it is reasonable and necessary for us to interpret broadly the meaning of the bodily injury on Article 17 of the new Montreal Convention so as to be included the mental injury and condolence. Furthermore, Korea and Japan has not existed the Air Transport Act regulated the civil liability of air carrier such as Air Transport Act (Luftverkehrsgestz) in Germany. It is necessary for us to enact "the Korean Air Transport Contract Act (provisional title)" in order to regulate the civil liability of air carrier including the protection of the victims and injured persons caused by aircraft accident.

프로펠러여객기 운항시대에 만들어졌던 국제항공운송인의 민사책임관계를 규정한 1992년의 바르샤바조약은 1955년의 헤이그 개정의정서, 1961년의 과다라하라조약, 1971년의 과테말라의정서 및 1975년의 몬트리올 제1, 제2, 제3및 제4의 정서 등 한개의 조약과 여섯 개의 의정서 등에 의하여 여러 차례 개정이 되었고 보완되면서 70여 년간 전세계를 지배하여 왔지만 오늘날 초음속(마하)으로 나르고 있는 제트여객기 운항시대에 적합하지 않아 "바르샤바조약체제" 상의 문제점이 많이 제기되어 왔다. 특히 시대에 뒤떨어진 "바르샤바조약체제" 는 2개의 조약과 여섯 개의 의정서로 매우 복잡하게 구성되어 있었으며 항공기사고로 인한 국제항공운송인의 손해배상사건에 있어 배상한도액이 유한책임으로 규정되어 있어 항상 가해자인 항공사와 피해자인 여객들간에 분쟁(소송 등)이 끊이지 않고 있으므로 이를 어느정도 해결하기 위하여 UN산하 ICAO에서는 상기 여러 개 조약과 의정서를 하나의 조약으로 통합(integration)하여 단순화시키고 현대화(modernization)시키기 위하여 20여 년간의 작업 끝에 1999년 5월에 몬트리올에서 새로운 국제항공운송인의 민사책임에 관한 조약(몬트리올 조약)을 제정하였다. "바르샤바조약체제" 를 근본적으로 개혁한 몬트리올 조약은 71개국과 유럽통합지역기구가 서명하였으며 미국을 비롯하여 33개국이 비준하여 2003년 11월 3일부터 전세계적으로 발효되었음으로 이 조약은 앞으로 전세계의 항공운소업계를 지배하게 되리라고 본다. 본 논문에서는 몬트리올 조약의 성립경위와 주요내용(국제항공여객운송인의 손해배상책임: (1)총설, (2)조약의 명칭, (3)조약의 전문, (4)국제항공여객에 대한 책임원칙과 배상액((ㄱ)국제항공여객의 사상에 대한 배상, (ㄴ)국제항공여객의 연착에 대한 배상), (5)손해배상 한도액의 자동조정, (6)손해배상금의 일부전도, (7)손해배상청구소송의 제기관계, (8)국제항공여객의 주거지에서의 재판관할관계, (9)항공계약운송인과 항공실제운송인과의 관계, (10)항공보험)을 요약하여 간략하게 설명하였다. 1999년 몬트리올 조약의 핵심사항은 국제항공운송인의 손해배상책임에 관하여 무한책임을 원칙으로 하되 100,000 SDR까지는 무과실책임주의를 채택하였고 이 금액을 초과하는 부분에 대하여서는 과실추정책임주의를 채택하였음으로 "2단계의 책임제도" 를 도입한 점과 항공기사고로 인한 피해자(여객)는 주소지의 관할법원에 가해자(항공사)를 상대로 손해배상청구소송을 제기할 수 있는 제 5재판관할권을 새로이 도입하였다는 점이다. 현재 우리 나라는 전세계에서 항공여객수송량이 11위 권에 접어들고 있으며 항공화물수송량도 3위 권을 차지하고 있음에도 불구하고 아직도 이 조약에 서명 내지 비준을 하지 않고 있음은 문제점으로 지적될 수가 있음으로 그 해결방안으로 세계의 항공산업선진국들과 어깨를 나란히 하고 상호 협력하기 위하여 조속히 우리 나라도 이 조약에 서명하고 비준하는 것이 필요하다고 본다. 한편 우리 나라와 일본은 국내항공운송에 있어서는 국내에서 항공기사고가 발생하였을 때에 국내항공여객운송인의 민사책임을 규정한 법률이 없기 때문에 항상 항공사 측과 피해자간에 책임원인과 한계 및 손해배상액을 놓고 분규가 심화되어 가고있으며 법원에서 소송이 몇 년씩 걸리어 피해자 보호에 만전을 기 할 수가 없는 실정에 있다. 현재 이와 같은 분규의 신속한 해결을 위하여 국내항공운송약관과 민상법의 규정을 적용 내지 준용하여 처리할 수밖에 없는 실정인데 항공기사고의 특수성을 고려하여 볼 때 여러 가지 문제점이 많이 제기되고 있다. 이와 같은 문제점을 해결하기 위하여 국내항공여객운송인의 책임한계 및 손해배상액을 분명하게 정하고 재판의 공평성과 신속성을 도모하기 위하여서는 항공운송계약 당사자간의 책임관계를 명확하게 규정한 "가칭, 항공운송법" 의 국내입법이 절실히 필요하다고 본다.