Covid-19 disrupted international aviation and new rules to contain it, especially those for facemasks, increased cases of unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft, an analysis has found.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), member airlines reported 5,672 incidents of unruly passenger behaviour in 2021. This amounted to 1.13 incidents per 1,000 flights or 1 incident for every 885 flights.
Between January-June 2022, there were 4,242 reported incidents. The number amounted to 1.20 incidents per 1,000 flights or 1 incident for every 833 flights.
Most reported unruly passenger incidents were classified as level 1, or intentional non-compliance with safety regulations (not wearing face masks, not wearing seat belts). Level 1 incidents are verbal in nature.
