AIR rage incidents on UK flights have more than quadrupled over the past three years, according to official statistics.
The frequency of “dangerous” on-board incidents have risen from 85 in 2013, and 114 in 2014, to 386 in 2015.
The Civil Aviation Authority figures came after the British Air Transport Association published their Code of Practice, aimed at minimising disruptive behaviour.
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Unruly or drunken passengers have been a long-standing issue for many airlines in Scotland with Ryanair and Jet2 imposing certain alcohol bans on flights this year.
It is an offence to be heavily inebriated on a plane, or to refuse to obey instructions given by the captain, and hundreds have been given lifetime bans or refused travel for their behaviour.
It emerged earlier this year that the Government is considering banning the sale of alcohol at airport bars before travellers fly out. Last week, a Thomson flight from Glasgow to Ibiza was forced to make an emergency landing in France after a passenger became aggressive and was sick in the cabin.
It came after David Marchetti, from Glasgow, forced a British Airways flight from London to Florida to divert to Boston. He faces a lifetime ban from travelling on the airline.
In July, company director Raymond Hynds was fined £1,000 after he threw a glass of wine over a passenger in an air-rage incident on a flight between Paris and Edinburgh.
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Phil Ward, managing director of low cost airline Jet2, told BBC Radio 5 live Investigates: “I think it would act as a very strong deterrent and in fact there is some work with all the airlines together going on to bring that to the table, to see if that can be correctly arranged between us all. It’s not going to happen overnight. But it’s something we’ve all agreed is a good practical solution, we just need to work out how to do it between us consistently, so that it’s managed correctly.”
Mr Ward added: “You can see it every day where people are drinking pints at six in the morning.
“I’m not trying to spoil people’s holidays at all but it’s not normal to drink a pint at six in the morning and that then manifests itself on-board the airplane where the alcohol takes a greater effect.”
Jet2.com announced it would prohibit alcohol purchases on flights before 8am last month, while Ryanair imposed an alcohol ban on passengers flying from Glasgow Prestwick to Ibiza last year.
The Department for Transport said it supported efforts to tackle disorder and alcohol-related incidents on planes.
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A spokesman said: “Passengers who become disruptive on flights cause distress to other travellers, create knock-on delays to other flights, and in rare cases can even put flight safety at risk.”
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, the trade body for 11 major UK airlines, said: “We welcome the recognition from Government that excessive drinking at airports and on board aircraft is an issue that needs to be addressed, and we look forward to discussing with ministers how to best tackle this problem.”
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