BALPA welcomes the Government’s announcement that they will work with trade unions and airlines to create a new system for dealing with disruptive passengers.

As the only recognised trade union for commercial airline pilots in the UK, we are happy to work with the Government and industry on this issue and are committed to ensuring that the views of pilots are at the forefront of this work.

Joji Waites, BALPA Director for Flight Safety, Policy and Regulation, said :

“BALPA has long campaigned for improved measures to address disruptive and disorderly passengers. No worker should have to deal with such behaviour while performing their duties, especially in such a safety critical field. The captain, with support from their crew, is responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft and the safety of all passengers and crew onboard. Not only does this behaviour put this at risk, it also inconveniences other passengers and disrupts flight schedules.

It is right that the Government is attempting to deal with problem passengers and our pilot representatives are ideally placed to contribute to this work.”