China's Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Wednesday issued a judicial interpretation on the application of law in cases involving civil aviation safety, which severely punishes acts such as disruptive "air rage" and fabricating false terror information, according to CCTV News.

The document consists of seven articles and will come into effect on Thursday. In response to current conditions and key issues in punishing criminal offenses that endanger civil aviation safety in accordance with the law, the interpretation sets out how to apply the Criminal Law and implement relevant policy, according to the report.

First, it elaborates on the punishment of disruptive "air rage" acts, such as unauthorized opening of civil aircraft cabin doors and fighting or brawling inside the cabin. According to the interpretation, not all acts of unauthorized opening of civil aircraft cabin doors constitute criminal offenses. Only when cabin door is opened without authorization while the civil aircraft is moving under its own power or during flight, and poses a risk to public safety, can it be considered constituting the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means.

On the other hand, the interpretation adopts a list-based approach to define standards for conviction and sentencing for the crime of violence endangering flight safety, which applies to violent acts committed on a civil aircraft in flight. It specifically clarifies that acts involving violence against civil aviation crew members may constitute the crime of violence endangering flight safety.

Second, it calls for strict punishment of crimes involving the fabrication and deliberate spread of false terror information related to civil aviation safety.

The interpretation stipulates that if an individual's act affects the normal operation of civil aviation flights or civil airports, or prompts public security, armed police, fire rescue, health quarantine and other departments to take response measures, it will be treated as a criminal offense. If it causes serious social impact or significant economic losses, it will be deemed to have caused serious consequences, and a sentence of imprisonment of over five years will be imposed.

Third, it clarifies the principles of territorial jurisdiction for criminal cases involving threats to civil aviation safety.

The interpretation specifies that for criminal cases occurring inside a civil aircraft, if the individual is apprehended during the flight, the case will fall under the jurisdiction of the people's court where the aircraft first lands after the incident. When necessary, jurisdiction may be exercised by the people's courts in the place of departure, stopover, or destination of the civil aircraft, to avoid possible jurisdictional disputes in practice.