What happens if pilots fight mid-flight? UAE law explained after violence on flydubai plane

UAE aviation regulations prohibit assaults, threats, or intimidation against crew members when such conduct interferes with or impairs their ability to perform their duties.

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted for an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday amid initial reports of a violent confrontation between members of the flight crew.

International reports confirmed the aircraft's diversion to Saudi Arabia. However, as of Wednesday morning, neither the airline nor aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates had officially confirmed that a fight between the pilots was the reason for the landing.

If authorities confirm that the two pilots engaged in a physical confrontation during the flight, Dubai could treat the incident not only as an internal disciplinary matter but also as a serious aviation safety incident, potentially leading to regulatory or criminal proceedings.

UAE aviation regulations prohibit assaults, threats, or intimidation against crew members when such conduct interferes with or impairs their ability to perform their duties. Physical violence aboard an aircraft can also constitute an offense when it threatens the safety of the aircraft or those on board.

The UAE's Federal Law No. 20 of 1991, which governs civil aviation, contains separate provisions addressing offenses against aircraft.

Under Article 55, a person commits an offense against an aircraft if the person intentionally and unlawfully commits, attempts to commit, or assists in certain acts. These include an act of violence against a person aboard an aircraft in flight when that act is likely to endanger the safety of the aircraft.

The provision therefore does not mean that any physical confrontation between crew members automatically constitutes an offense under Article 55. Its application would depend on whether the circumstances met the statutory requirements, including whether the act of violence was likely to endanger the aircraft's safety.

Article 72 sets out the penalty for offenses covered by Article 55. It provides for life imprisonment or a term of imprisonment for a person who intentionally commits, conspires to commit, or attempts to commit one of the offenses listed in Article 55.

Not so black and white: Pilots will not automatically receive life in prison

Accordingly, life imprisonment is not an automatic penalty for a fight between pilots. However, if authorities determined that an intentional and unlawful act of violence aboard the aircraft met the conditions of Article 55, including that it was likely to endanger the aircraft's safety, Article 72 provides for life imprisonment or a prison term.

If the confrontation between the pilots itself led to an emergency declaration and the diversion from the planned route for a landing in Saudi Arabia, that could become a significant factor in determining whether the incident affected aviation safety.

Investigators could examine, among other factors, whether either pilot stopped performing his duties, whether control of the aircraft was compromised, whether another crew member was required to intervene, and whether the incident created a safety risk for the aircraft or its passengers.

Similar incidents elsewhere have resulted in immediate suspensions. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after a physical altercation in the cockpit during a flight from Geneva to Paris. Crew members were forced to separate them, and one crew member remained in the cockpit until landing.

An even more serious incident occurred in 2009 aboard an Air India flight from Sharjah to Delhi, when pilots and crew members exchanged blows, and the confrontation spilled from the cockpit into the aircraft's galley. Two pilots and two crew members were suspended, and police opened an investigation.

If it is confirmed that Wednesday's emergency landing in Saudi Arabia was caused by a confrontation between the pilots, UAE authorities could examine the incident as both a disciplinary matter and a possible aviation safety offense. Whether Article 55 and its penalties under Article 72 apply would depend on the facts established in an investigation and, in particular, whether the alleged conduct met the law's requirement that the act of violence was likely to endanger the safety of the aircraft.