Judicial authorities have issued a stern warning to individuals who fabricate or spread rumors about civil aviation safety, disrupting the normal operations of flights or airports, noting that such actions will trigger criminal charges under a new judicial interpretation.

The interpretation, jointly released by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, will take effect on Thursday. It aims to help prosecutors and judges more accurately apply laws in handling criminal cases involving civil aviation safety, thereby ensuring public safety and maintaining social stability.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Luo Guoliang, chief judge of the SPC's Fourth Criminal Division, said civil aviation safety is a critical public safety issue that must not be compromised.

In recent years, incidents involving fabricated or deliberately disseminated false or terror-inducing information about aviation safety — such as claims of bombs on planes — as well as in-flight altercations, have occurred frequently, drawing widespread public concern, he said.

"Some individuals act out of revenge against society or to extort money, while others do so out of personal grievances or curiosity,"Luo said. "All their actions severely disrupt aviation safety and order, and even cause social panic to some extent."

The interpretation clarifies that anyone who publishes or spreads content — explicitly or implicitly — that seriously threatens flight safety, including claims involving explosives, biochemical threats, radioactive materials or hijacking, and results in social panic, flight rescheduling, cabin evacuation or secondary security checks, will be charged with fabricating and deliberately spreading false terror information.

The same charge applies if such actions trigger responses from public security, armed police, fire rescue or health quarantine authorities.

If the rumors lead to consequences such as an emergency landing or the return of a flight, serious injury to one or more people, minor injury to three or more individuals, or economic losses exceeding 500,000 yuan ($73,245), the case will be deemed "serious", with offenders facing prison sentences of not less than five years.

Wu Qiaobin, an official with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, cited a case to illustrate that repeat offenders will face harsher penalties.

In September 2023, an individual surnamed Jiang was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a one-year reprieve for fabricating false terror information.

During the probation period, Jiang made five phone calls to Nanjing Lukou International Airport in Jiangsu province and the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, falsely claiming there were bombs on planes. His actions led to four rounds of secondary security checks and one emergency response by a local air-ground division, causing a flight to return to an isolation bay.

The Nanjing Jiangning District People's Court ruled that Jiang had committed the crime of fabricating false terror information and, because he committed a new offense during the suspension period that disrupted multiple flights, should be punished more severely.

Taking into account his voluntary confession and his family's compensation efforts, Jiang was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Combined with the previous unserved sentence, he ultimately received a four-year prison term.

Tang Furong, deputy head of the public security department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said the civil aviation industry handled 770 million passenger trips in 2025, underscoring air travel as a crucial transport mode for the public.

With the industry's growth, illegal activities threatening flight safety and disrupting in-flight orders have occasionally occurred, posing risks to aviation safety, she said.

"These include unauthorized opening of emergency exits, occupying luggage racks, smoking onboard, verbally or physically assaulting crew members, fabricating and spreading civil aviation safety rumors, and carrying dangerous items onto planes," Tang said.

To address these issues, the civil aviation system has launched nationwide campaigns, increased administrative penalties and maintained a "zero tolerance" policy toward behavior that endangers flight safety and disrupts in-flight order.

In 2025, civil aviation law enforcement handled 1,081 in-flight incidents, a 6.5-percent decrease from the previous year. The incident rate per 10,000 flights dropped by 17 percent.

Tang said authorities will strengthen training on the new judicial interpretation to ensure accurate implementation and enhance coordination with courts and procuratorates.

The interpretation also clarifies that opening a cabin door illegally while an aircraft is taxiing or in flight constitutes the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means. If the aircraft has not yet moved, such behavior may be subject to administrative penalties.

It also further defines jurisdictional principles for criminal cases involving civil aviation safety.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn