This article examines
how strategic climate litigation is reshaping the governance of airlines, with
a particular emphasis on the judicial interpretation of open norms, including
the duty of care, proportionality, and human rights obligations. Drawing on
landmark climate cases in the Netherlands, it traces a trend of expanding legal
scrutiny of the aviation sector across multiple areas of law. It also considers
diverging judicial approaches and their implications for airlines. The analysis
underscores the increasingly blurred boundaries between regulatory, judicial,
and stakeholder influence, raising broader questions about who governs the
airline in an era of climate accountability.