China Cracks Down on Air Rage and Fake Bomb Threats With Stricter Aviation Laws

China’s highest courts issued stringent new legal guidelines on April 9 to crack down on aviation-related criminal offenses — including deploying fake bomb threats, illegally opening cabin doors, and assaulting flight crews — aiming to curb disruptive behaviors that ground flights and threaten public safety.

Released jointly by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the judicial interpretation delineates clear thresholds for when common administrative infractions escalate into criminal charges carrying lengthy prison sentences.