Ravindra Gaikwad, a MP belonging to the Shiv Sena, assaulted a duty manager on an Air India flight.
Following this there was a airline-wide boycott against him.
It has prompted the civil aviation ministry to consider drawing up an official No-Fly List (NFL) as well as rules specifying the grounds on which airlines can bar people from travelling.
How important is to address unruly passengers?
Unruly passenger incidents include violence against crew and other passengers, harassment, verbal abuse, smoking, failure to follow safety instructions, and other forms of riotous behaviour.
It is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with as it has the potential to put at risk the safety of others flying with them.
A survey by International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed that there was one unruly incident for every 1,205 flights in 2015 and 1/ 1,282 flights in 2014.
The majority were Level 1 incidents i.e they are verbal in nature and can usually be dealt with successfully by crew using de-escalation training.
The survey also that unruly behaviour had increased in the last five years, while physical aggression was one of the top three safety issues that caused concern to cabin crew.
How it is dealt with in India?
The Aircraft Rules, 1937, spell out a course of actions to be taken following disruptive behaviour.
Rules 22 and 23 highlight the parameters under which action can be taken under the jurisdiction of India, and the crucial role of the pilot-in-command.
The government and Airlines in India are beginning to take some steps to put in place a “no-fly” list.
How effective is the No-Fly list?
No-fly lists may come from the airline industry’s right guaranteed under international aviation law to accept or decline passengers on grounds of flight safety.
The experience in the US, where the list was mobilised after 9/11, has been far from happy because people can be assigned to it without even being informed.
There were no specific guidelines on who can be added in the list. e.g Anything can trigger the ban, from an intemperate social media entry to declining to be an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
It also loosened protection of civil rights and gave free reign to social prejudice e.g the bulk of those who end up on the list were Muslims.
US court declared that the method of compiling the no-fly list unconstitutional.
Hence NFL can run into legal hurdles as it mandates public behaviour.
There an informal no-fly list is best left to the airlines’ discretion.
Like hotels and restaurants, their staff should be skilled at spotting potential troublemakers.
