The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments Thursday to take stronger action against unruly passengers on commercial flights.
The International Civil Aviation Organization agreed at a diplomatic conference last week on changes to the Tokyo Convention of 1963, which provides the legal framework for dealing with passengers whose unruly or otherwise disruptive behavior leads to violence or threatens flight safety.
Both groups cooperate closely and are based in Montreal. The IATA is a global airline alliance and the ICAO is an intergovernmental United Nations agency focused on aviation standards and practices used to develop legally-binding national civil aviation regulations.
"This agreement is good news for everybody who flies -- passengers and crew alike," IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said in a statement.
"The changes, along with the measures already being taken by airlines, will provide an effective deterrent for unacceptable behavior on board aircraft.
"But governments must now follow up on the success of the diplomatic conference and ratify the new protocol."
About 300 incidents of unruly behavior are reported each week.
"We urge governments to move quickly," Tyler added.
The changes, agreed at the conference attended by officials from about 100 governments, will come into force once 22 states ratify the protocol to the Tokyo Convention.
The protocol namely allows authorities not only in the country in which the aircraft was registered but also in the destination country to take legal action against unruly passengers.
The move closes a loophole the IATA said had allowed "many" serious offenses to go unpunished.
Among the agreed changes, the protocol more clearly defines unruly behavior -- to include both the threat of or actual physical assault, or the refusal to follow safety instructions -- and helps recover major costs associated with the misbehavior.
"Unruly passengers are a very small minority," Tyler said.
"But unacceptable behavior on board an aircraft can have serious consequences for the safety of all on board. The goal is to effectively deter such behavior and ensure safe flights for all by making the consequences of such behavior clear and enforceable."
The aviation body has 240 members that account for 84 percent of total air traffic worldwide.
AFP
Sat Apr 12 2014
PADU: Keraguan pengguna patut menjadi satu mesej yang kerajaan kena faham - Pakar
Masalah itu tercetus akibat kurangnya komunikasi yang cermat dan akhirnya, ia membawa kepada pemahaman yang bersegmen dan kompleks.
Jumlah korban serangan di dewan konsert Rusia meningkat kepada 143
Jumaat lepas, sekumpulan lelaki bersenjata melepaskan tembakan rambang di Dewan Bandaraya Crocus, Krasnogorsk dalam Wilayah Moscow.
Kerjasama dua hala India-Malaysia bergantung kepada kepercayaan, kebolehpercayaan bersama - Menteri Luar
Memupuk kepercayaan dan kebolehpercayaan bersama sebagai asas untuk kerjasama dua hala antara India dan Malaysia adalah sangat penting, kata Menteri Luar India, Dr S. Jaishankar.
AWANI 7:45 [28/03/2024] - 75 peratus pemegang akaun keldai | Sakit mata, sakit hati | Bayar agihan pendapatan | Elak serbuan saat akhir
#AWANI745 malam ini bersama Essan Yahya;
1. Scammer! Dalam tiga bulan, lebih empat ribu ditahan
2. Hati jadi sakit, lambakan kereta terbiar depan rumah... Gempur745 siasat
3. PNB agih pendapatan RM0.67 bilion
4. Tambahan 300 kaunter PADU seluruh negara
1. Scammer! Dalam tiga bulan, lebih empat ribu ditahan
2. Hati jadi sakit, lambakan kereta terbiar depan rumah... Gempur745 siasat
3. PNB agih pendapatan RM0.67 bilion
4. Tambahan 300 kaunter PADU seluruh negara
AWANI Ringkas: Rusuhan di bazar Ramadan
AWANI Ringkas
PM Anwar beri bayangan tiada 'cuti tambahan' sempena sambutan Aidilfitri
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim beri bayangan tiada cuti tambahan diberikan menjelang sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri yang dijadual pada 10 April depan.
UAE lancar kempen derma lebihan makanan sepanjang Ramadan
Emiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE) menerusi UAE Food Bank melancarkan kempen menderma lebihan makanan sepanjang ramadan kepada mereka yang memerlukan.
Pelapor Khas PBB terima ugutan
Pelapor Khas Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB), Francesca Alabanese mendedahkan menerima ugutan ketika cuba mengumpulkan bukti genosid dilakukan Israel di genting Gaza.
Pentadbiran Biden arah semua agensi persekutuan AS lantik ketua pegawai AI
Pentadbiran Presiden Joe Biden telah mengarahkan semua agensi persekutuan negara itu melantik seorang ketua pegawai Kecerdasan Buatan (AI) untuk menyelia semua teknologi berkaitan.
Gempur: Masalah lambakan kereta usang membelenggu penduduk
Lambakan kereta tersadai di kawasan flat Sri Pantai menyebabkan penduduk berdepan masalah kekurangan parkir. Ada yang sudah berbulan malah ada yang bertahun tersadai sehingga menyebabkan kesesakan di kawasan parkir. Walaupun beberapa kali pihak berkuasa menunda kenderaan, tetapi masalah ini terus berulang.