Article 147 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
المادة 147 من نظام الطيران المدني · الفصل الثاني: المسؤولية عن الأضرار التي تسببها الطائرة للغير على سطح الأرض
Liability of the operator for surface damage is unlimited if the injured person proves deliberate intent to cause damage or recklessness with knowledge that damage would probably result, and the liability of a person who unlawfully seizes and uses an aircraft is unlimited.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
مع مراعاة المعاهدات الدولية المنضمة إليها المملكة:
1 - تكون مسؤولية المشغل وفقا لأحكام هذا الفصل غير محدودة إذا أثبت المتضرر أن الضرر قد نجم عن فعل أو امتناع متعمد من قبل المشغل أو تابعيه أو وكلائه بقصد إحداث الضرر، أو كان ذلك الضرر نتيجة رعونة مع علم باحتمال وقوعه، وعلى المتضرر بالنسبة للتابعين أو الوكلاء إثبات أنهم قد ارتكبوا الفعل أو الامتناع أثناء قيامهم بوظائفهم وفي حدود اختصاصاتهم.
2 - إذا استولى شخص على طائرة بطريقة غير مشروعة واستعملها دون رضا من له حق استعمالها كانت مسؤوليته غير محدودة.
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 147 explained in plain English
The general rule is that compensation for damage caused by aircraft on the ground has a maximum limit under Article 146, which refers to the international treaties the Kingdom has joined. This article provides exceptions in which those limits are lifted, subject to the international treaties the Kingdom has joined.
1- Unlimited liability of the operator: If the injured person proves that the damage resulted from:
- an act or omission that was deliberate on the part of the operator or its employees or agents, with intent to cause damage; or
- recklessness with knowledge that damage would probably result.
Where the act is attributed to employees or agents, the injured person must also prove that they committed it while performing their functions and within the limits of their authority.
2- The person who seizes the aircraft: If a person unlawfully seizes an aircraft and uses it without the consent of the person entitled to use it, that person's liability is unlimited.
Burden of proof: It lies on the injured person in the first case. Not every serious damage lifts the limit; deliberate intent, or recklessness with knowledge, must be proved.
It is followed by Article 148, which governs the limits of liability where there are several persons liable. Anyone who believes their damage resulted from deliberate intent or recklessness may consult a lawyer specializing in compensation cases to assess whether it can be proved.
Practical example
It was shown that the crew of a crop-spraying aircraft flew very low over an inhabited farm in Al-Kharj, knowing that damage was likely, and destroyed part of its facilities. If the farm owner proves this recklessness with knowledge, and that the crew were acting within their job and authority, the operator's liability is unlimited.
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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Frequently asked questions about Article 147 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
When can an injured person obtain compensation above the maximum limit?
If he proves that the damage resulted from a deliberate act or omission by the operator or its employees or agents with intent to cause damage, or from recklessness with knowledge that damage would probably result.
What is the liability of someone who unlawfully seizes an aircraft?
Their liability is unlimited if they used it without the consent of the person entitled to use it.
More articles on Compensation for Damage Caused by Aircraft on the Ground
- Article 66
The article protects anyone who suffers surface damage from an aircraft when it is seized and sold by forced sale: security rights can be asserted against them only up to 80% of the price, unless the damage was insured.
1- إذا تم إجراء البيع الجبري في المملكة ووقع في إقليمها ضرر على السطح من طائرة تم ترتيب أحد الحقوق الواردة في المادة (السادسة والخمسين) من هذا النظام عليها ضمان
- Article 140
For the purposes of the chapter on damage on the surface, an aircraft is in flight from when motive power is first used for actual takeoff until landing; a lighter-than-air aircraft, from when it leaves the ground until it is secured again.
عند تطبيق أحكام هذا الفصل تعد الطائرة في حالة طيران منذ اللحظة التي يبدأ فيها استخدام القوة المحركة لغرض الإقلاع الفعلي حتى اللحظة التي يتم فيها الهبوط، وتبدأ ه
- Article 141
Anyone harmed on the surface in the Kingdom is entitled to compensation from the aircraft operator once it is shown that the damage arose directly from the aircraft in flight or from a person or thing that fell from it, subject to specified exceptions.
1 - لكل من أصيب بضرر على سطح الأرض في إقليم المملكة الحق في الحصول على تعويض من مشغل الطائرة بمجرد ثبوت أن الضرر قد نشأ مباشرة من الطائرة وهي في حالة طيران أو م
- Article 142
The aircraft operator is liable for compensation for surface damage whether it uses the aircraft itself or through its employees and agents, and the owner or lessee in whose name the aircraft is registered is deemed the operator unless it proves someone else is.
1 - يكون مشغل الطائرة مسؤولا عن التعويض المشار إليه في المادة (الحادية والأربعين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام سواء أكان يستعمل الطائرة بنفسه أو بواسطة تابعيه ووكلا
- Article 143
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.
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
- Article 144
The liable person is exempt from compensating surface damage caused by armed conflict or civil disturbance, by being barred from using the aircraft by order of public authorities, or by the injured person's fault; compensation is reduced in proportion to the injured person's contribution.
1- لا يلتزم الشخص المسؤول وفقا لأحكام هذا الفصل بتعويض الضرر الذي يقع في الأحوال الآتية: أ - إذا كان الضرر قد نتج مباشرة عن نزاع مسلح أو لاضطرابات مدنية. ب - إ
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.