§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultations they have undertaken, and with what authorities, on the question of violent and disruptive behaviour by airline passengers; what conclusions were reached; and what steps are being taken to remedy the lack of reliable information on the size of this problem and the likely causes.[HL231]
§ Lord WhittyMy right honourable friend the Minister of Transport met representatives of the airline industry, the police and the Civil Aviation Authority on 25 November to discuss ways in which the problem of violent and disruptive behaviour by airline passengers can be addressed.
As a result of the meeting, a number of ideas and initiatives were identified. These initiatives included the setting up of a small working group, to be chaired by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which would examine incident reporting and the commissioning of research into the causes of disruptive behaviour.
The Government will also promote international action to ensure that all states have the necessary legislation, as we already have in the UK, to take action against offenders when they arrive at their airports, regardless of the aircraft's country of registration. We will also consider amending the Air Navigation (No. 2) Order to prohibit passengers from interfering with crew members carrying out their duties.