Unruly passenger behaviour on rise; 1 incident reported for every 568 flights globally in 2022: IATA

One unruly passenger incident was reported for every 568 flights last year compared to one such incident per 835 flights in 2021, according to international airlines' grouping IATA. In recent times, there has been a steep rise in unruly passenger behaviour incidents, including in India. As it released an analysis of such incidents on Sunday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also urged more states to take the necessary authority to prosecute passengers under Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14).

"Latest figures show that there was one unruly incident reported for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021. The most common categorisations of incidents in 2022 were non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication. "Physical abuse incidents remain very rare, but these had an alarming increase of 61 per cent over 2021, occurring once every 17,200 flights," IATA said in a release.

Although non-compliance incidents initially fell after the mask mandates were removed on most flights, the frequency began to rise again throughout 2022 and ended the year some 37 per cent up on 2021, IATA said. Smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes and puff devices in the cabin or lavatories; failure to fasten seatbelts when instructed; exceeding the carry-on baggage allowance or failing to store baggage when required; and consumption of own alcohol on board flights were among the most common examples, it added.

IATA Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford said the increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. "In the face of rising unruly incident numbers, governments and the industry are taking more serious measures to prevent unruly passenger incidents. States are ratifying MP14 and reviewing enforcement measures, sending a clear message of deterrence by showing that they are ready to prosecute unruly behaviour," he noted.

When asked the possible reasons for the rising number of unruly air passengers post the coronavirus pandemic, Clifford told PTI that he was not sure and was looking into the trend.
He spoke on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit here. On May 31, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said it is focussing on supporting cabin crew members dealing with unruly and disruptive passengers on board aircraft.

ICAO is also developing additional guidance to manage unruly passenger events, in the post-pandemic environment and to best equip crew members to respond to emerging issues. Meanwhile, talking about the Indian aviation market, Clifford said there is so much growth and it is a "very exciting and exceptionally strong market". IATA is a grouping of around 300 airlines comprising 83 per cent of the global air traffic.

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