Competition Law and its Policy in Civil Aviation with a Special Reference to Turkish Civil Aviation

Türk Sivil Havacılığı Özelinde Sivil Havacılıkta Rekabet Hukuku ve Politikası

Reşat Volkan GÜNEL,Liana GINELA,Samet Hamza RUSO,Mistral CAYDAMLI

Aviation law is principally based on bilateral and international agreements due to two main reasons. First, every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory and territorial waters. Second, the nature of aviation activities itself concurrently necessitates international cooperation. Furthermore, constructing the law of international aviation necessarily entails taking economic policies into consideration. In this sense, aviation law is a sub-branch of international law whose rules require strict compliance with and which allows for a direct observation of the interaction between law and economics. The development of the prevalent global economics policy and the industry-specific demands brought about by this development have made modification and transformation of aviation law necessary in regard to certain points. In this context, aviation law has become an area of law that has witnessed the implementation of liberal economy policies in line with the prevailing world conception, particularly in the last 40 years. By extension, the sector, which had previously been under the governance and direct enterprise of states both where airlines and airports - among other things - were concerned, has been more commercialised and privatised with each passing year. The desire to have a market economy-based sector brings with it the core principle on which such an economy is based, namely the assumption that economic relations are competition-oriented. Within this framework, this study aims to explore and identify the role of competition relations and its prevalent principles in the transformation of aviation law across the globe with a specific focus on the Republic of Turkey (Turkey). In line with this objective, this study will examine the legal arrangements and competition policies of the principal actors of the predominant structure in international aviation, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU). This will be followed by a critical analysis of the neoliberalism-oriented transformation of the aviation sector, particularly within the last 40 years. Finally, applicable aviation competition practices with special reference to the decisions of the Turkish Competition Board will be scrutinised.

Aviation, Competition Law, Liberalism, USA, EU, Neoliberalism, Market Economy.

Devletlerin kendi hava sahalarında tam ve münhasır egemenlik hakkına sahip olması ve aynı zamanda niteliği itibariyle havacılığın uluslararası işbirliğini zorunlu kılması, havacılık hukukunun kaynaklarını esas olarak iki taraflı ve çok taraflı uluslararası antlaşmalara dayandırmıştır. Diğer yandan, uluslararası havacılıkta hukuk tayin edilirken, ekonomi politikalarının da her zaman göz önünde tutulması gerekmiştir. Bu anlamda havacılık hukuku, uluslararası hukukun bir alt dalı olarak, kurallarına sıkı biçimde riayet edilen ve hukuk-ekonomi etkileşimini açık biçimde gözlemleyebildiğiniz bir alandır. Dünyadaki hâkim ekonomi politikasının gelişimi ve beraberindeki sektörel talepler havacılık hukukunun tadilini ve belli noktalarda dönüşümünü zorunlu kılmıştır. Bu çerçevede havacılık hukuku, özellikle son 40 yılda dünyadaki egemen anlayışa uygun olarak üzerinde liberal ekonomi politikalarının tatbik edildiği bir saha olmuştur. Dolayısıyla daha önce gerek havayollarıyla gerekse havaalanlarıyla devletlerin doğrudan teşebbüste ve yönetimde olduğu sektör, her geçen yıl daha fazla ticarileşmiş ve özelleştirilmiştir. Piyasa ekonomisine dayalı bir sektör arzusu, bu ekonominin dayandığı temel ilkeyi, yani ekonomik ilişkilerin rekabet odaklı olduğu varsayımını da beraberinde getirir. Bu düzlemde eldeki çalışma, öncelikle Dünya’da ve sonrasında Türkiye’deki havacılık hukukunun dönüşümünde, rekabet ilişkilerini ve onun hakim ilkelerini tespit etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu hedef doğrultusunda uluslararası havacılıktaki hakim yapının başat aktörleri ABD ve AB’nin ilgili hukuk düzenlemeleri ve rekabet politikaları irdelenecektir. Daha sonra, özellikle son 40 yıllık dönüşümün somutlaşmış hali olan neoliberalizm olgusu çerçevesinde eleştirel analize gidilecektir. Son olarak havacılıktaki rekabet uygulamaları Rekabet Kurulu kararları çerçevesinde incelenecektir.

Havacılık, Rekabet, Liberalizm, ABD, AB, Neoliberalizm, Piyasa Ekonomisi.

Introduction

Competition law is an area of law in which the direct interaction and relationship between law and economics is clearly visible. In fact, this connection can be observed in all other areas of law too. Examples of this include not only capital markets and intellectual property law,¹ but also certain areas of private law where much of the law created is a reflection of the economic policies of the parties establishing it, such as in the context of economic crimes under criminal law, or tenders and privatisation and expropriation cases under administrative law.

Generally speaking, basic economic theories tend to prescribe systems that are aimed at the promotion and preservation of the interests and welfare of either the individual on a private scale, or the society on a general scale. The first of these economic theories, the individualist theory, focuses on separate individuals within a society, and is based on the idea that if private individuals within a society are separately well off, then the society at large will also be well off. In the context of this theory, the notion of fair competition is not only the key concept, but also the raison d’être of the system. The second theory, namely the collectivist, or the societal theory, focuses on the society at large, and is based on the idea that if the society is well off as a whole, then the private individuals within a society will also be well off. This theory embraces the idea that societal advancement is for all individuals, and the somewhat ethical notions of cooperation, equality and liberty rather than competition can be seen to lie at the heart of the system.

In any case, competition law is made of rules that aim to protect the process of competition as well as economic activities and the welfare of both the society and that of consumers.² In theory, the benefits of competition include lower prices, better products, a wider choice of selection, and more productivity than the ones obtained under monopoly conditions.³