Article 143 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law

المادة 143 من نظام الطيران المدني · الفصل الثاني: المسؤولية عن الأضرار التي تسببها الطائرة للغير على سطح الأرض

A person entitled to use the aircraft for less than 14 days is jointly liable with the person who authorized the use, and the operator is jointly liable with anyone who used its aircraft without its consent unless it proves it took the necessary care.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

1- يكون الشخص الذي له حق استعمال الطائرة لمدة تقل عن أربعة عشر يوما مسؤولا بالتضامن مع الشخص الذي خوله هذا الحق في دفع التعويض عن الأضرار الموجبة للتعويض المشار إليه في المادة (الحادية والأربعين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام.

2- إذا استعمل شخص طائرة بغير رضا مشغلها فإن هذا المشغل – ما لم يثبت أنه قد اتخذ من جانبه العناية اللازمة لتفادي هذا الاستعمال- يكون مسؤولا بالتضامن مع من استعملها بغير رضاه عن الأضرار المبررة للتعويض ، ويكون كل منهما ملتزما بهذا التعويض وفقا للشروط الواردة في هذا الفصل وحدود المسؤولية المقررة فيه.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 143 explained in plain English

This article adds persons who are jointly liable alongside the primary person liable for the compensation set by Article 141 for a person harmed on the surface. Joint liability means the injured person may claim the full compensation from either of them.

1- Short-term use: A person entitled to use the aircraft for less than 14 days is jointly liable with the person who authorized that right in paying the compensation. So if the operator lends or leases its aircraft for a few days, it remains liable together with the user.

2- Use without the operator's consent: If a person uses an aircraft without its operator's consent:

the operator is jointly liable with the person who used it for the damage justifying compensation;
unless it proves that it took, on its part, the necessary care to avoid such use.

Each of them is bound to pay the compensation under the conditions set out in this chapter and within the limits of liability prescribed in it.

The rationale: to protect the injured person from disputes between the parties over who is liable, and to encourage the operator to secure its aircraft against unlawful use.

This article follows Article 142, which makes the operator liable and deems the owner or lessee in whose name the aircraft is registered to be the operator unless it proves someone else is, and precedes Article 144, which sets out the cases of exemption from and reduction of liability. To assess liability in a particular case, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in compensation and aviation cases.

Practical example

A company in Dammam leased a small aircraft to a person for 5 days, and during its flight it caused damage to a warehouse on the ground. The warehouse owner may claim the full compensation from the lessee or from the company that authorized the use, because they are jointly liable.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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