The International Air Transport Association, which represents hundreds of airlines, says that disruptive incidents aboard airliners are increasing, and has called on more countries to prosecute the disrupters.
IATA’s figures are worldwide, and indicate one unruly incident per 568 flights last year compared to one in 835 in 2021. It said that most come under the headings of non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication, and sometimes a combination of all three. Physical abuse incidents remain rare, but had an alarming increase of 61% over 2021, occurring once every 17,200 flights.
While U.S. authorities have reported a significant drop in air rage incidents from the worrying high levels of 2020 and 2021, as mask and other rules were eased, it is apparently not a world-wide trend.
