ETF leads a new industry push to fight flight disruptions by unruly passengers

Following an ETF initiative, a large group of European social partners in Civil Aviation has just issued a joint statement calling for the generalised ratification and implementation of the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) in Europe. This is a strong message by the representatives of aviation workers and employers that must be heard by all EU member states and EU institutions.

Under current rules in much of the EU, legal jurisdiction over in-flight incidents often rests solely with the country where the aircraft is registered. This means that unless the airline takes the rare step of pursuing legal action in its home country, disruptive individuals face no charges, even after incidents that cause serious disturbances or flight diversions. MP14 has made it possible to deliver a disruptive passenger to authorities in the state of landing or possible diversion, for prosecution. 

Although such disruptions are a matter of concern for every single aviation stakeholder, there are still 17 EU member states that have not ratified MP14: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden.

The failure of EU Member States to do so represents a dangerous gap in Europe’s aviation safety architecture, undermining the EU’s reputation as a leader in international aviation safety and workers’ rights.

We therefore urge:

• all EU and other European countries to ratify and implement MP14 globally without further delay;
• the European Commission and all relevant EU institutions to promote MP14 ratification and implementation globally;
• all national and European authorities to involve social partners in the development of legal frameworks addressing unruly and disruptive passenger behaviour.

Read the full statement here.