A no-fly zoneNFZfor its acronym in English) is an area in which the flight of certain aircraft is restricted. As a general rule, establishing and applying an NFZ is the responsibility of the State that controls that airspace. This is stipulated in article 9 of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, which allows the creation of these zones for military needs or reasons of public security.
A no-fly zone is usually adopted in war situations to prevent enemy aircraft from flying over one’s territory. However, there are restrictions in civil contexts in order to protect essential buildings, historical heritage or the environment, and specific events, such as the London 2012 Olympic Games to prevent any terrorist attacks. Maintaining a no-fly zone ranges from surveillance to pre-emptive strikes to deter potential violations. The purpose is to avoid reconnaissance flights or enemy bombing.
In exceptional cases, a third party may create a no-fly zone, even without the consent of the affected State. This represents a violation of state sovereignty over airspace. However, the UN Charter opens the door for the Security Council to impose restrictions to maintain peace and guarantee the supply of humanitarian materials.
An instrument of recent war
No-fly zones appeared as an instrument of war after the end of the Cold War. The United States and its allies first made use of this tool in 1991. After the Gulf War, Washington decreed two no-fly areas in Iraq, the first in the north to prevent Saddam Hussein from attacking the Kurdish people, and the first in the north to prevent Saddam Hussein from attacking the Kurdish people, and the second in the south to protect the Iraqi Shiites.
The White House argued that it intended to protect humanitarian operations in Iraq and appealed to United Nations Security Council resolution 688 to support its imposition. However, the ruling never referred to the establishment of no-fly zones. The UN Secretary General himself, at the time Boutros Boutros-Ghali, described the NFZ implemented in Iraqi territory as “illegal”. The measure remained in place until the beginning of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Bosnia and Libya, the no-fly zones controlled by NATO
The first no-fly zone approved by the United Nations Security Council was established in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war in the first half of the 1990s. By resolution 781 of 1992, the Council prohibited unauthorized military flights in Bosnian airspace. However, given the non-compliance of Serbian aviation, the body urged UN Member States to take the necessary measures to guarantee the restrictions. This decision marked the beginning of NATO’s Operation Deny Flight. Between 1993 and 1995, the Atlantic Alliance was responsible for controlling Bosnian airspace; It was the first time the organization had entered combat.
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NATO also intervened in Libya to defend the no-fly zone decreed by the UN Security Council in 2011. The Western alliance entered Libyan territory with the purpose of protecting the civilian population from possible bombing by the Muammar regime. Gaddafi. Their military action ended with the assassination of the Arab leader and led to a civil war between rebel factions. In this conflict, the Libyan National Army implemented several no-fly zones between 2018 and 2020 during its offensives against the Government of National Accord.
The risk of an NFZ in Ukraine
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked NATO for a no-fly zone in the country. However, the Atlantic Alliance considers that an NFZ on Ukrainian soil would involve directly intervening in the war, which could trigger a large-scale conflict with Russia. NATO also questions the effectiveness of this mechanism, since most of Moscow’s air attacks have been from its territory, with long-range missiles. In addition, the West fears that there may be identification errors between aircraft, such as when two American fighters mistakenly shot down two Black Hawks of the same nationality in Iraq.