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Unmanned aircraft vehicles (or “UAVs”) have became a symbol of modernity and development of aviation, both in its civil and military sector. Stronger connection of UAVs with air industry means not only many advantages for air travellers and military forces, but also potential involvement in terrorism. Unmanned aircraft serving civil air transport can become target of terrorist attack. On the other hand, such a device can also be used as a handful weapon in fight against terrorism. The aim of hereby article is to study both such aspects of usage of UAVs from legal perspective in order to answer a question whether provisions of international law currently being in force accurately reflect the reality of fight against terrorism. For that purpose, applied is research based on a method of analysis of relevant legal acts (conventions forming Tokyo-Hague-Montreal-Beijing system and documents related to international humanitarian law) and critical commentary thereto, enriched with practical review of real and current cases involving unmanned aircraft vehicles.

The author dealt with the subject of aviation terrorism and mechanisms aimed at combating it. The subject of discussion is the concept of aviation terrorism and its range. Then the author will discuss the international conventions that govern this issue, e.g. the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft of 1970 or the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971. The author will also present examples from the judicature concerning aviation terrorism. Subsequently, a ruling by the Polish and German Constitutional Tribunal which rejected the shooting of an aircraft violating the airspace of a given country will be analysed. A particular attention will be paid to the mechanisms aiming at securing the airlines and the airports by the state. The paper ends with deliberations on the air traffic safety.

The author will discuss the subject of aviation safety. The measures taken by EASA to maintain the high standard of aviation safety will be identified. At the same time, the paper will present the genesis of the establishment of the European Union Agency for Aviation Safety.

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