How is airside considered “international” yet other parts of the airport are considered within the country’s territory?
In: Culture
Don’t carry this idea too far though. Although a transit passenger in an international terminal is considered not to have formally entered the country, legal jurisdiction is still with the country the airport is located in. Commit a crime in an international terminal and you will be detained, arrested and possibly jailed. AFAIK no country gives up their “sovereign” rights to enforce their laws to individuals who happen to be in an international terminal although there may be some **diplomatic agreements** in place regarding certain areas pertaining to in transit passengers.
Well, when you get off an international flight, you will notice that you don’t just walk into the waiting area for that gate, you are diverted down a hallway and have to pass through customs/passport control, or whatever it is called. Everything before that point is international. Everything beyond that point is considered part of the country. In fact, it’s even possible to do the passport checks before someone gets on the plane to go to the foreign country. EU passport control theoretically could set up in NYC or Atlanta if they really wanted to, and check all the departing passengers instead of checking them when they arrive. It all depends on which way would be more streamlined.
You can do the same thing with cargo, you can designate a certain warehouse or warehouses as a “Foreign Trade Zone” and international cargo can be left there and then shipped out again to another international destination without the usual paperwork that would be required if it was entering the country and then leaving the country again.
These are just ways that have been set up to make everyone’s life easier.
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