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Civil Aviation Act 2023

Functions, powers, and duties of participants in civil aviation system - General offences and liability provisions

43: Communicating false information affecting safety

You could also call this:

"Telling lies about aviation safety can get you in big trouble"

Illustration for Civil Aviation Act 2023

If you give someone false information about aviation safety, you can get in trouble. You do this when you tell someone something that is not true about the safety of an aircraft, aerodrome, or people involved in aviation. You must know the information is false, or not care if it is true or false.

If you do this, you can be punished when you are found guilty. As an individual, you can be imprisoned for up to 12 months, or fined up to $120,000, or both. If you are not an individual, you can be fined up to $1,000,000, you can compare this to the 1990 No 98 s 56(1), (2) to see how the law has changed.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS184582.

Topics:
Transport and travel > Air travelCrime and justice > Criminal law
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Part 2Functions, powers, and duties of participants in civil aviation system
General offences and liability provisions

43Communicating false information affecting safety

  1. A person commits an offence if the person—

  2. by any means provides to another person information relating to—
    1. the safety of an aircraft, aerodrome, aeronautical product, aviation-related service, or any other facility or product used in or connected with aviation; or
      1. the safety of any person associated with any thing referred to in subparagraph (i); and
      2. knows the information to be false or is reckless as to whether it is false.

        1. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) is liable on conviction,—

        2. in the case of an individual, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to a fine not exceeding $120,000, or both:
          1. in the case of any other person, to a fine not exceeding $1,000,000.

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