ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to interrogate issues of regulation and political manoeuvring in light of transnational air service operations. The wider context presented is one of aeropolitics, which is broadly defined as the dynamic relationship between state and nonstate interests in the regulation and operation of air services. Aeropolitics is a framework that situates decisions regarding air service access, particularly where national governments are generally tasked with regulating air services and the degree to which foreign carriers
are able to service local gateways or hubs (Forsyth 2001). This is especially salient since many countries have one or more ‘flag carriers’, or those carriers in which local regulations regarding ownership and effective control (i.e. usually a certain proportion of ownership and control must be in the hands of citizens) have been satisfied such that they are certified as so-called ‘national’ carriers.
