Flying into a rage: world’s airlines grapple with rise in turbulent passengers
- According to IATA, one in every 568 flights had an incident linked to an unruly passenger in 2022, compared to one in 835 in 2021
- Surge comes as aviation industry bounces back from Covid pandemic, with airlines expecting a whopping 4.35 billion passengers this year
Viral videos of vulgar, intoxicated and violent airplane passengers have become common, but it is not just a social media trend: statistics confirm cases are on the rise.
The surge in incidents comes as the aviation industry is bouncing back from the Covid pandemic, with airlines expecting to fly a near-record 4.35 billion passengers this year.
According to the airline industry trade group IATA, one in every 568 flights had an incident linked to an unruly passenger in 2022, compared to one flight in 835 flights in 2021.
“Although non-compliance incidents initially fell after the mask mandates were removed on most flights, the frequency began to rise again throughout 2022 and ended the year some 37 percent up on 2021,” IATA said recently.
The most common incidents involved passengers smoking or vaping in the cabin or toilet, refusing to buckle their seatbelt, failing to respect baggage limits and storage instructions and consumption of their own alcohol on board.
While incidents of physical aggression remain rare – only one flight in 17,200 in 2022 – that represents a 61 percent jump from the previous year.