Irish airlines and airports, An Garda Síochana (the Irish national police force), the Irish Aviation Authority, AirNav Ireland, ground handlers and international aviation organisations have come together to back the #NotOnMyFlight campaign, which aims to tackle disruptive and dangerous behaviour.
There was a three-fold increase in unruly behaviour among passengers between 2019 and 2023. Unruly behaviour can include intoxication, aggressive or inappropriate behaviour as well as not following the commands of flight crew. The declaration sets out how the aviation industry aims to combat the issue of unruly behaviour on flights.
The vast majority of passengers comply with instructions and show respect to staff and other passengers, but the signatories of this Joint Declaration recognise the need to actively promote good passenger conduct due to the adverse impact that disruptive and unruly behaviour can have on the safety of a flight and passenger experience. The signatories stated that they will not tolerate any behaviour that has the potential to disrupt the passenger experience, impact the safety of the cabin crew and airport staff or create a safety risk to the aircraft and those on board the flight. This includes physical and sexual assault, threatening and abusive behaviour and generally disruptive acts.
Jim Gavin, chief operations officer of the Irish Aviation Authority, said: “Flying should be an enjoyable and positive experience for passengers. Whilst incidents associated with unruly passenger behaviour occur on only a small number of flights, they can have a significant impact on flight crew, other passengers and even affect the safety of the flight. We want to remind passengers that their actions can have a direct impact on both the safety of crew and others on board an aircraft. We are meeting to look at how we as an aviation industry can address unruly behaviour on flights and put steps in place to ensure passengers and flight crew can have a safe and positive flying experience.”
The declaration sets out an action plan for the Irish aviation industry to reduce the incidence of unruly passenger behaviour in airports and onboard aircraft. The signatories are meeting regularly and engaged on the topic, working together to prevent disruption and enhance enforcement. Specifically, the industry aims to boost its ability to ban passengers through no-fly lists, ensure Gardai are informed of all criminal activity, enhance training for cabin crew and improve communication to passengers to prevent unruly behaviour.
Signatories to the declaration include Aer Lingus, AirNav Ireland, and Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Ireland West, Kerry and Shannon airports. EASA and IATA also signed it, along with a number of airlines and ground handling partners.
