No legal definition of where sovereign airspace ends above commercial jets

Based on · First reported 2 Oct 2026

The 1944 Chicago Convention set the rules for global civil aviation but did not specify the altitude at which sovereign airspace ends, leaving a legal gap for aircraft cruising at high altitudes. No internationally accepted altitude defines the boundary between sovereign airspace and outer space, and the Kármán Line at 100 kilometres is only a practical reference without binding legal status. The United States, however, treats space as beginning at 50 miles (about 80 kilometres) above the Earth's surface.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty declares outer space free for exploration by all states but also does not define where outer space begins, reinforcing the lack of a clear legal demarcation for high‑altitude commercial flights.

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