Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) held a top level round table on the growing problem of dealing with unruly passengers last week, with FATA head Alexander Neradko calling for new rules, the creation of ‘black lists’ of problem passengers and stiffer other penalties for offenders.

 

The round table was also attended by representatives of state authorities of the Russian Federation, aviation industry organizations and the legal community, with participants agreeing to an urgent need for the introduction of a new ‘Air Code’ governing general rules for onboard passenger behaviour.

 

The meeting also agreed that the authority of the senior pilot onboard, plus the rights and duties of cabin crew members and security staff need to be formalised and unquestioned when it comes to their legal rights to ‘prevent, combat and document violations’.

 

CABIN CREW SHOULD HAVE MORE LEGAL POWERS

As such, the meeting agreed that the cabin crew’s abilities to apply countermeasures should be supplemented further to allow them to deal with the more difficult situations.

 

In a statement, the FATA said: “There remains the question of restricting the liquor proposals on board aircraft (including the interiors of first and business class). The vast number of offences on air transport due to being in a state of intoxication.”

 

[This is a problem that has been growing in recent years, with several UK airlines and other carriers now taking a zero-tolerance attitude, alcohol sales being restricted to certain hours of the day in some cases and police and security officers briefed to look for potential troublemakers within the terminals before they board flights-Ed]

 

 

CALL FOR TOUGHER LEGAL DETERRENTS

With this in mind, the meeting agreed that based on the advice of ‘experts’ gross violations of public security on board aircraft should be punishable under the offence of hooliganism and therefore fall under the full jurisdiction of criminal law. FATA also called for the establishment of a special administrative body to have responsibility for dealing with offences against public order committed onboard civil aircraft.

 

FATA’s Deputy Head Oleg Klim said that 95% of all conflicts onboard ‘typically’ take place after long flight delays of more than five hours, with some passengers clearly worse for wear from excessive alcohol consumption on the ground.

 

It was also noted that some other countries – notably Germany – have also tried to introduce tougher regulations to combat this problem, with penalties for offenders that go beyond the normal confines of civil law to act as a deterrent.

 

LEARNING FROM OTHERS WHERE POSSIBLE…

The committee also pointed to ‘a positive experience at British Airways’ where it was stated that the carrier has ‘pioneered’ a surveillance system using cameras on some ‘domestic flights’.

 

Concluding the round table, FATA’s Neradko said that the immediate task in hand for the association now is to determine who – under the law – provides and enforces public order on board an aircraft in the sky. He added that once this is confirmed from a formal legal standpoint then it will be possible to discuss the creation of ‘passenger black lists’ and stiffer penalties for offenders.

 

For more information, click on the links below:

http://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/international/jet2-com-bans-all-early-morning-alcohol-sales/108230

http://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/europe/jet2-com-and-wdf-act-on-behaviour-problems/97014