The Hague Protocol amended the Warsaw Convention on international air carriage liability, updating rules accepted by 137 of the original 152 signatory states.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 28 September 1955
- Ratifying parties
- 137 of 152 original Warsaw Convention parties
- Binding language
- French
- Certified translations
- English and Spanish
- Official depository
- Government of Poland
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1929 Warsaw Convention had established uniform rules for international air carriage liability, but its provisions were considered outdated and in need of revision by the mid-twentieth century, prompting international negotiations to modernise the framework governing passenger and cargo claims.
On 28 September 1955, states gathered in The Hague and signed the Protocol to Amend the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air. The treaty was designed to merge with the Warsaw Convention as a single legal instrument, revising liability limits and other key provisions, with the authoritative text in French and Poland as depository.
The Hague Protocol entered the international legal order with ratification by 137 of the 152 original Warsaw Convention parties, producing a revised liability regime for international air travel. The incomplete ratification created a two-tier system, as non-ratifying states remained bound only by the original 1929 Warsaw Convention terms.
Political Outcome
Protocol adopted, amending the Warsaw Convention on international air carriage liability; ratified by 137 of 152 original parties, with Poland as official depository.