18 U.S.C. 37 covers specified intentional violence or destruction at airports serving international civil aviation. It requires more than disruptive behavior: the charged act must meet the statute’s injury, damage, or safety requirements. Attempts and conspiracies are also covered. [1]
Elements and penalties
The ordinary individual felony fine ceiling is $250,000, in addition to the airport-violence imprisonment provisions. [2] The ordinary maximum is twenty years. If a death results, the statute authorizes life, a term of years, or death subject to applicable procedures. Jurisdiction can extend to specified overseas conduct. A narrow bar addresses certain domestic labor-dispute conduct punishable as a state felony. [1]
The overseas jurisdiction provisions can apply when an offender is later found in the United States, or where an offender or victim is a U.S. national. That is separate from proving an airport serving international civil aviation and the specified safety impact. The labor-dispute bar is narrow: it concerns domestic conduct during or in relation to a qualifying labor dispute that is prohibited as a state felony. [1]
What to examine in the actual case
- Identify the airport’s international civil-aviation function.
- Determine which violence, damage, or disruption clause is alleged and what safety consequence is required.
- For an overseas incident or labor dispute, analyze the specific jurisdictional or prosecution-bar conditions.
Practical example
Damage to an airport facility is not automatically a section 37 conviction. The prosecution must prove the required intent and the statutory danger to safety, along with federal jurisdiction.
For related situations, see federal airport grant assurances and commercial pilot certification after a felony.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.