Flying in the Face of Criminalization

Flying in the Face of Criminalization: Navigating Personal and Corporate Liability in Aviation examines the critical intersection between aviation safety investigations and criminal proceedings. This comprehensive analysis reveals how the legal system’s punitive approach often conflicts with aviation’s core objective of learning from mistakes to enhance safety.

The new edition significantly expands coverage through 2025, documenting the increase in litigation against aviation professionals and organizations following accidents and serious incidents. It provides crucial insights into recent developments in corporate criminal liability, manslaughter charges, and corporate homicide cases that have transformed accountability standards across the industry. With an unparalleled collection of cases from 2010 to June 2025, the book explores how varying legal systems worldwide apply liability principles inconsistently and create uncertainty for aviation professionals operating across jurisdictions.

A diverse audience will benefit from this book, including legal professionals, aviation consultants, pilots, air traffic controllers, safety officers, airline managers, and accident investigators.

Author Biography

Dr. Captain Andreas Mateou is the VP of Safety and Quality at Flynas Group, KSA and a Visiting Professor at Emirates Aviation University, UAE. He holds a PhD from the University of Middlesex, UK, a MSc in Aviation Management from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and a law degree (LLB) from the University of London, UK. He started his career as an Airbus A320 pilot and held the position of Safety Manager at Cyprus Airways. He continued his career as a Flight Operations Inspector at the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, (GCAA), before joining the Flynas Group, initially as the Chief Pilot of the A320 fleet. Dr. Mateou is an EASA A320 TRI/TRE, GACA Check Airman with more than 20,000 flying hours experience and an IOSA Risk Based Auditor. He is an Associate Member of ISASI and has been an aviation safety and legal consultant in a number of aviation litigation cases.

Dr. Sofia Mateou is an Associate Professor in Aviation Management at Prince Sultan University, KSA and a Visiting Professor at Emirates University, UAE. She holds a PhD from the University of Middlesex, UK and both a BA and a law degree (LLB) from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. She practiced law in South Africa before returning to Cyprus to start her academic career. As an aviation-legal consultant, Dr. Mateou has participated in several court proceedings against pilots, ATCs, and engineers after a number of high-profile aviation accidents. She was an advisor to the Cyprus Air Accident and Incident Investigation Board (AAIIB). She is a member of the Just Culture Task Force of Eurocontrol and an Associate Member of ISASI. Dr. Mateou is an avid speaker and presenter at international conferences. She has published numerous articles and chapters on key areas impacting aviation safety and security and written two books.