Article 72 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
المادة 72 من نظام الطيران المدني · الفصل الثالث: الحجز على الطائرات
The article excludes from the seizure chapter the precautionary measures in bankruptcy proceedings and those taken for violating this Law, the customs or penal laws, or the security rules.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تسري أحكام هذا الفصل على الإجراءات التحفظية الخاصة بدعاوى الإفلاس، ولا على الإجراءات التحفظية التي تتخذ عند مخالفة أحكام هذا النظام، أو الأنظمة الجمركية ، أو الأنظمة الجزائية ، أو قواعد وأنظمة الأمن في 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 72 explained in plain English
This article sets the scope of the chapter on seizure of aircraft in the negative, that is, what falls outside its provisions. The chapter deals with the precautionary seizure imposed for a private interest, as defined in Article 71, while measures taken for other reasons have their own laws.
The provisions of this chapter do not apply to:
- precautionary measures in bankruptcy proceedings;
- precautionary measures taken for violating the provisions of the Civil Aviation Law itself;
- measures taken for violating the customs laws;
- measures taken for violating the penal laws;
- measures taken for violating the security rules and laws in the Kingdom.
The practical effect is that the restrictions and safeguards in this chapter, such as the bar on precautionary seizure of certain aircraft in Article 73 (for example State-service aircraft not used for commerce and scheduled-service aircraft), cannot be invoked against these excluded measures. If an aircraft is grounded because of a customs or security violation, relying on the provisions of this chapter is not enough to lift the measure; one must look to the law under which the measure was taken. To identify the nature of the measure and the applicable law in a particular case, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in civil aviation law or in the field to which the measure relates.
Practical example
The competent authorities grounded a private aircraft at Riyadh airport on suspicion of a customs violation. Its operator tried to rely on the provisions of the chapter on seizure of aircraft and offer a guarantee to lift the grounding; but those provisions do not apply to measures taken for violating the customs laws.
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 72 of the Saudi Civil Aviation Law
Do the aircraft seizure rules apply in bankruptcy cases?
No. The provisions of this chapter do not apply to precautionary measures in bankruptcy proceedings.
Can the grounding of an aircraft for a customs violation be lifted under this chapter?
No. The chapter's provisions do not apply to precautionary measures taken for violating the customs laws.
More articles on Attaching Aircraft
- Article 62
Where an aircraft is attached or sold by force, creating or transferring Article 56 rights is not recognized if the debtor did so knowing of the proceedings and intending to harm the attaching creditor, the enforcing party or the buyer.
في حالة توقيع الحجز ، أو إجراء البيع الجبري لطائرة ، أو أي حق عليها؛ لا يجوز الاعتراف بإنشاء أو بنقل أي من الحقوق الواردة في الفقرة (1) من المادة (السادسة والخم
- Article 63
A forced sale of an aircraft follows the procedures of the laws in force and the Implementing Regulations; a sale breaching them can be annulled within six months, and the buyer takes ownership free of all rights.
1 - إذا تقرر بيع الطائرة جبريًّا في المملكة لتسديد الديون المستحقة عليها؛ فإن إجراءات البيع الجبري تتم وفقا للإجراءات التي تحددها الأحكام والأنظمة المطبقة في ال
- Article 65
A forced sale of an aircraft also covers the spare parts seized with it; the article governs auctioning them at two-thirds of value where the seizing creditor's debt has no security interest, and distributing the proceeds.
1- إذا تقرر بيع الطائرة جبريًّا وفقًا للمادة (الثالثة والستين) من هذا النظام فإن هذا البيع يشمل قطع الغيار المحجوز عليها، ويتم نقل ملكيتها للمشتري الجديد. 2- إذ
- Article 71
The article defines a precautionary seizure of an aircraft as any act that grounds the aircraft for a private interest through the courts or competent authorities, and gives the Authority the right to ground it for unpaid fees.
يقصد بالحجز التحفظي في مفهوم هذا الفصل: كل تصرف أيًّا كانت تسميته يتم بمقتضاه وقف الطائرة رعاية لمصلحة خاصة عن طريق القضاء أو السلطات المختصة لصالح الدائن أو ال
- Article 73
The article bars precautionary seizure of non-commercial State-service aircraft, scheduled-service aircraft and their indispensable spares, and commercial aircraft about to depart, except for a debt tied to the flight.
1 - لا يوقع الحجز التحفظي على ما يأتي : أ - الطائرات المخصصة لخدمة الدولة، ويستثنى من ذلك ما خصص لخدمة التجارة. ب - الطائرات المستخدمة فعلا وبصورة مطلقة على خط
- Article 74
The article allows a precautionary seizure of an aircraft to be prevented or lifted at once by providing a sufficient guarantee covering the debt and expenses, or the aircraft's value if that is higher.
1- في الحالة التي لا يكون فيها الحجز التحفظي على الطائرة محظورًا أو لا يجوز فيها توقيع الحجز ، ولم يدفع المشغل بعدم جواز مثل هذا الحجز ؛ فإن تقديم كفالة كافية ي
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.