Public liability insurance covers anything that can be damaged by a plane. This also includes for example ground support equipment and airport facilities such as hangars. The plane itself or anything or anyone that is inside it isn’t covered, though

Since the passengers on a plane aren’t covered by the typical public liability insurance this insurance protects (mortally) injured people aboard. Not every plane in the sky is carrying passengers, so this insurance is usually only mandatory for commercial aircraft. Public liability insurance and passenger liability insurance are sometimes combined in a so called CSL (Combined Single Limit). This type of insurance covers all types of liability claims for individual accidents, including for example cargo legal liability.

There are usually three possible situations a plane can be in: Either it flies, it rolls on the ground or it stands on the ground (take-off and landing are considered flying, too). This first coverage protects the aircraft when it is standing still and presumably incapable of causing self-inflicted damage. Damages caused by natural hazards and disasters like floods, fires, storms or collapsing hangars are just as covered by this insurance as accidents with uninsured vehicles or other planes.

On the ground aircrafts are gentle giants. Still, parking, driving to the gate or being towed by an aircraft tug can lead to minor or even major accidents. That’s where the ground risk hull insurance in motion comes in. Although the name implies it, this coverage protects of course not only the hull but the whole plane against physical damage.

In-flight insurance is an all-rounder. It covers not only any damage that might occur in-flight but also in every other situation on the ground – whether in motion or not. That makes it very practical but also more expensive than only the non-in-motion insurance.