航班放油备降的相关法律责任问题浅析——以MU587和MU551航班为例

Legal Liability of Flights Discharge Fuel:A Case Study of MU587 & MU551 Rescue Cases

近期"东航放油备降救助旅客"事件成为了舆论关注的热点,该类备降事件涉及很多法律关系,如航空公司与发病旅客之间、航空公司与其他旅客之间以及发病旅客与其他旅客之间的法律关系。为明确该类事件中各方的法律责任,需要以《统一航空运输某些规则的公约》(1999年《蒙特利尔公约》)和中国民法为法律依据,并结合美国法院的司法实践,使用案例分析的方式进行研究。结果显示,航空公司负有充分救助发病旅客的义务但备降并非必须,航油损失等备降费用需由发病旅客承担,其他旅客延误损失无需由承运人承担而应由发病旅客承担,承运人无需对发病旅客承担赔偿责任。

The recent"China Eastern Airline Passenger Rescue"incident has become a hot spot of public concern.This type of alternate landing event involves many legal relationships,such as the ones between the airline and the sickened passenger,the airline and other passengers,and of course the sickened passenger and other passengers. In order to clarify the legal responsibilities in such incidents,it is necessary to consider the "Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air"( also as known as The Montreal Convention of 1999) and Chinese Civil Law as the legal basis,combined with the judicial practice of the US courts and case studies. The research shows the airline has the obligation to rescue the passengers,but the alternate is not necessary;the loss of fuel and other standby costs should be borne by the passengers;the passengers’ loss caused by delay should not be borne by the airline but the sickened passenger,and that the carrier is not obligated to pay for the sickened passenger’s medical expenses.