Article 19 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
المادة 19 من نظام الطيران المدني · الفصل الأول: سياسات النقل الجوي وتنفيذها
The owner or operator of an aircraft registered in the Kingdom may not offer or sell alcohol, narcotics or prohibited items on board; arrivals may not possess them, and no aircraft may carry them into the Kingdom.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1 - يحظر على مالك أي طائرة مسجلة في المملكة، أو مشغلها أن يقدم أو يبيع لأي شخص على متنها أي مشروبات كحولية ، أو مواد مخدرة ، أو أي مواد محظور دخولها إلى المملكة.
2 - يحظر على كل شخص قادم إلى المملكة حيازة المشروبات الكحولية ، أو المواد المخدرة ، أو المحرم دخولها للمملكة. ويتعين على مشغل الطائرة وقائدها تحذير الركاب القادمين من ذلك.
3 - مع مراعاة الأنظمة والتعليمات المطبقة في المملكة؛ يحظر على كل طائرة أن تنقل أي مواد مسكرة ، أو مخدرة ، أو ممنوعة إلى المملكة.
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 19 explained in plain English
This article contains three prohibitions concerning alcoholic drinks, narcotic substances and substances whose entry into the Kingdom is prohibited, each addressed to a different party:
- On the owner or operator of an aircraft registered in the Kingdom: he is prohibited from offering or selling to anyone on board any alcoholic drinks, narcotic substances or any substances whose entry into the Kingdom is prohibited. This provision is specific to aircraft registered in the Kingdom.
- On every person arriving in the Kingdom: he is prohibited from possessing alcoholic drinks, narcotic substances or substances whose entry is forbidden. The aircraft operator and its pilot must warn arriving passengers of this.
- On every aircraft: it is prohibited from carrying any intoxicating, narcotic or prohibited substances into the Kingdom, subject to the laws and instructions applied in the Kingdom.
Note that the first prohibition concerns aircraft registered in the Kingdom wherever they are, while the third covers every aircraft heading to the Kingdom. The article does not state the penalty; it is found in the other provisions of the law and in the relevant laws.
Anyone facing an accusation connected with these substances would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.
Practical example
On a foreign airline flight bound for Jeddah, the pilot announced a warning to arriving passengers against possessing alcoholic drinks or prohibited substances. This warning is required of the operator and pilot under this article, and arriving passengers are prohibited from possessing such substances.
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 19 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
Can alcohol be served on Saudi aircraft?
No. The owner or operator of any aircraft registered in the Kingdom is prohibited from offering or selling alcoholic drinks, narcotic substances or prohibited substances on board.
Must an airline warn passengers arriving in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. The aircraft operator and its pilot must warn arriving passengers against possessing alcoholic drinks, narcotic substances or substances whose entry is forbidden.
Does the prohibition cover foreign aircraft?
Every aircraft is prohibited from carrying any intoxicating, narcotic or prohibited substances into the Kingdom, subject to the laws and instructions applied.
More articles on Flight Permits and Aircraft Inspection
- Article 6
The Authority may inspect aircraft, prevent them from flying and seize their documents to monitor compliance with the Civil Aviation Law; the Implementing Regulations set the procedures.
مع عدم الإخلال بما تقرره الأنظمة الأخرى والمعاهدات الدولية؛ فإن للهيئة الحق في تفتيش الطائرات ومنعها من الطيران أو حجز أي وثائق تتعلق بها لمراقبة تنفيذ أحكام هذ
- Article 7
Customs, security, passport, and health and agricultural quarantine personnel and any other competent body may inspect aircraft, persons and cargo within their jurisdiction, in the presence of a representative of the Authority.
لموظفي الجمارك والأمن والجوازات والحجر الصحي والزراعي وأي جهة مختصة أخرى الحق في تفتيش الطائرات ، أو أي شخص، أو حمولة على متنها وفقا لاختصاصاتها المقررة لها بمو
- Article 8
Passengers, crew members and consignors of goods must follow the residence, passport, customs, and health and agricultural quarantine rules when entering, staying in and leaving the Kingdom.
على الركاب وأعضاء الطاقم ومرسلي البضائع عند دخول المملكة والإقامة فيها والخروج منها اتباع الأنظمة والتعليمات والبيانات المتعلقة بالإقامة وجوازات السفر والجمارك
- Article 9
No aircraft may operate in the Kingdom's territory without a license or permit issued by the Authority; it is personal and cannot be assigned to others, and the Implementing Regulations set its conditions.
للهيئة صلاحية إصدار التراخيص والتصاريح للطائرات ، ولا يجوز لأي طائرة أن تعمل في إقليم المملكة إلا بموجب ترخيص أو تصريح تصدره الهيئة، ويعد الترخيص أو التصريح شخص
- Article 10
The article sets the requirements for an aircraft operating in the Kingdom: registration, a valid airworthiness certificate, markings, equipment, crew licenses and insurance, with possible exemptions for test and training aircraft except insurance.
1 - يجب أن تتوافر في الطائرة التي تعمل في إقليم المملكة ، الشروط الآتية: أ - أن تكون مسجلة في الدولة التابعة لها أو مسجلة وفقا لقواعد التسجيل الدولي أو المشترك.
- Article 11
No aircraft operating in the Kingdom may be fitted with radio equipment without approval of the state of registration, and it may only be used for air navigation purposes by the flight crew.
لا يجوز تجهيز أي طائرة تعمل في إقليم المملكة بأي أجهزة لاسلكية ما لم يكن لديها موافقة بذلك من السلطات المختصة في الدولة المسجلة فيها أو سلطة تسجيل العلامة العام
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.