Rowdy flight passengers face new sanctions in France
Fines of €10,000 and flight bans for passengers who obstruct flight crews are part of anti-disruption measures
Passengers who continue to use devices such as phones when asked to put them away could see fines
Undrey / Shutterstock
Harsher penalties for disruptive and rowdy airline passengers are now in force in France, as the country aims to tackle an increase in such behaviour.
The rise in cases “constitutes a growing threat to flight safety, passenger comfort, and crew working conditions,” said France’s Transport Ministry in a press release on new rules yesterday (November 17).
The original decree announcing the changes was published on November 7 in the Journal Officiel.
The European Aviation Safety Agency reports between 200 to 500 disruptive incidents every month, and internationally more than one in every 400 flights is disrupted by passenger activity.
Alongside danger to passengers and crew, delays can have a knock-on effect across the entire aviation network, as airports and aircraft may have to alter schedules due to incidents.
What are new measures?
Principal among the new measures is the creation of a disruptive passenger database listing the details of passengers who cause issues.
The DGAC will also have greater authority to impose fines for disruption.
Fines of up to €10,000 can be issued for:
The use of an electronic or electrical device when its use has been prohibited during part or all of the flight by the flight crew
Obstructing the performance of the flight crew's safety duties
Refusal to comply with a safety instruction given by the flight crew
Fines can reach €20,000 for repeat offences and in extreme cases the DGAC can also issue a flight ban of up to four years.
These penalties can be imposed on disruptive passengers on “flights operated by air carriers holding an operating licence issued by France.”
Passengers who are said to have disrupted a service will have one month to submit any comments to the DGAC before it makes its final decision.
“The system provides for a graduated scale of sanctions based on the severity of the offenses, ensuring a proportionate and appropriate response to each situation,” the Transport Ministry said.
The Ministry also notes that these ‘administrative sanctions’ are additional to any criminal proceedings – such as for sexual assault of flight crew – which can result in fines of up to €75,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years.
