Liability of Air Carrier for the Hijacking of Aircraft – Should the Passenger Be Compensated?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5937/crimen2602140JKeywords:
aircraft hijacking, air carrier's liability, state's liability, compensation of passangerAbstract
Despite extensive international and national legislation addressing aircraft hijacking, the passenger's legal position remains unaddressed and unregulated. Aircraft hijacking is regulated only in criminal and administrative law, not in civil, commercial, or private air law. As a result, passengers, the real and primary victims of aircraft hijacking, lack an appropriate legal basis for compensation. The author identifies a legal loophole, noting that an air carrier is not liable to a passenger who has suffered from aircraft hijacking. To effectively compensate passengers, it's crucial to examine the state's civil liability for its obligation to prevent acts of terrorism. The challenge lies in determining the legal framework and limits of the state's responsibility. This raises an important question: should the state be held liable under the same legal standards as airlines, or should it adhere to traditional forms of civil liability? This distinction is essential for ensuring justice for those affected. The author proposes two potential solutions. First, the state should adopt the same liability regime as aircraft, especially regarding the legal basis and limits of liability. Second, the state and the air carrier should be jointly and severally liable to the passenger, with the right and duty of recourse to hijackers.
Downloads
References
Abeyratne, Ruwantissa. Legal Priorities in Air Transport. Cham – Switzerland: Springer, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18391-2
Abramovski, Abraham. “Compensation for passengers of hijacked aircraft“. Bufalo Law Review 21, no. 2 (1972): 339–359.
Caban, Erwin E. “War-Risk, Hijacking & (and) Terrorism Exclusions in Aviation Insurance: Carrier Liability in the Wake of September 11, 2001“. Journal of Air Law and Commerce 68, no. 2 (2003): 421–448. https://doi.org/10.25172/jalc.68.2.8
Commentary. “Deterring airport terrorists attacks and compensating the victims“. University of Pensilvania Law Review 125, no. 5 (1977): 1134–1165. Dostpuno na adresi: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3311564, 15.8.2026. https://doi.org/10.2307/3311564
Curley, Robert. The complete history of aviation – from balooning to supersonic flight. New York: Britanica educational publishing, 2012.
Evans, Alona E. “Aircraft hijacking: its cause and cure“. American Journal of International Law 63, no. 4 (1969): 695–710. https://doi.org/10.2307/2199481
Feller, S.Z. “Comment on Criminal Jurisdiction over Aircraft Hijacking“. Israel Law Review 7, no. 2 (1972): 207–213. https://doi.org/10.1017/s002122370000354x
Fick, Ronald L. et al. “Aircraft Hijacking: Criminal and Civil Aspects”. University of Florida Law Review 22, no. 1 (1969): 72–100.
Finley, Gerald F. “Trial Technique in Aircraft Accident Cases“. Texas Law Review 31, no. 6 (1953): 809–819.
Fitzgerald, Geralf F. “Unlawful Inteference with Civil Aviation“. In: Esseys in Air Law (ed. Arnold Kean). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1982.
Hodgkinson, David et alia. International air carrier liability – safety and security. New York: Routledge, 2017.
Ilić, Aleksandra. “Discourse on modern terrorism“. Crimen 12, br. 3 (2021): 309–329. https://doi.org/10.5937/crimen2103309i
Jackson, Brian et alia. “The problem to be solved: Aviation terrorism risk past, present, and future“. In: Eficient aviation security (eds. Brian Jackson et alia). RAND Corporation, 2012.
Janković, Svetislav. “Odgovornost vazduhoplovnog prevozioca za štete koje putnik pretrpi usled oštećenja zdravlja za vreme prevoza, a koje nije uzrokovano nezgodom na vazduhoplovu“. Pravo i privreda 51, br. 7–9 (2013): 321–336. https://doi.org/10.55836/pip_25403a
Janković, Svetislav. Vazduhoplovno pravo. Beograd: Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, 2021.
Jovanović, Nebojša. “Opšti osnov ugovorne odgovornosti u srpskom pravu“. Pravo i privreda 58, br. 1 (2020): 40–63. https://doi.org/10.5937/pip2001040x
Jovanović, Nebojša. Saobraćajno pravo. Beograd: Pravni fakultet Univerzitetau Beogradu, 2024.
Karanikić Mirić, Marija. Obligaciono pravo, drugo izdanje, Beograd: Službeni glasnik, 2024. https://doi.org/10.63356/gpf.2024.007
Krstić, Marko. “Ugrožavanje vazdušnog saobraćaja terorističkim aktima“. Strani pravni život 60, br. 3 (2016): 107–117. https://doi.org/10.56461/spz16307k
Leloudas, George. Risk and liability in air law. Informa: London, 2009.
Milde, Michael. International Air Law and ICAO. Utrecht: Eleven International Publishing, 2008.
Milde, Michael. „The Beijing Convention and Beijing Protocol adapted at the International Conference on Air Law“. Zeitschrift für Luft – und Weltraumrecht 60, no. 1 (2011): 5–28.
Pavlićević, Predrag. “Taksonomije koncepata borbe protiv terorizma“, Crimen 5, br. 2 (2014): 212–230.
Perović, Slobodan et alia. Komentar Zakona o obligacionim odnosima. Gornji Milanovac-Kragujevac: Pravni fakultet u Kragujevcu i Kulturni centar Gornjeg Milanovca, 1980.
Petrović Tomić, Nataša. Pravo osiguranja – sistem, knjiga prva. Beograd: Službeni glasnik, 2019.
Polkowska, Malgorzata (2010). “Some observations on civil air carrier liability in international air carriage – accident, damage and jurisdiction“. Uniform Law Review 15, no. 1 (2010): 109–131. https://doi.org/10.1093/ulr/15.1.109
Salma, Jožef. “Ugovorna odgovornost – u evropskom, uporednom i domaćem pravu“. Zbornik radova Pravnog fakulteta u Novom Sadu XLV, br. 1 (2011): 69–107. https://doi.org/10.55836/zbornik_pip_2205a
Singh, Anushka et alia. „Aircraft hijacking and International Law“. International Journal of Law Management & Humanities 4, no. 3 (2021): 139–145.
Šulejić, Predrag. Osiguranje od građanske odgovornosti. Doktorska disertacija. Beograd: Pravni fakultet u Beogradu, 1967.
Vasiljević, Mirko. Trgovinsko pravo, Beograd: Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, 2012.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Svetislav Janković
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, allowing others to share the work with proper attribution to the authors and acknowledgment of its original publication in this journal.
