Spike in in-flight abuse prompts call for crack down on disruptive fliers

“Governments should be given the necessary legal authority to prosecute unruly passengers, regardless of their state of origin, and have a range of enforcement measures that reflect the severity of the incident,” Iata said.

Such powers exist in the Montreal Protocol 2014, and Iata said it was urging all states to ratify this “as soon as possible”. To date, around 45 nations comprising 33% of international passenger traffic have ratified the legislation.

Iata is also looking to collaborate with aviation partners on the ground, such as airports, bars and restaurants and duty-free shops, to prevent incidents getting out of hand.

This includes awareness campaigns on the consequences of disruptive and illegal behaviour and providing updated support and guidance to airline crew, as well as more practical solutions with allowing airlines the power to issue more spot fines and fixing jurisdiction gaps.

“The increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. Passengers and crew are entitled to a safe and hassle-free experience onboard. For that, passengers must comply with crew instructions,” said Iata deputy director general Conrad Clifford.

“While our professional crews are well trained to manage unruly passenger scenarios, it is unacceptable that rules in place for everyone’s safety are disobeyed by a small but persistent minority of passengers. There is no excuse for not following the instructions of the crew. In the face of rising unruly incident numbers, governments and the industry are taking more serious measures to prevent unruly passenger incidents.”