Govts should take strict action against unruly behaviour on flight: IATA

The global alliance of airlines proposed this at a conference in Montreal

International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global alliance of airlines, Thursday called all governments, including India, to take strict action against unruly air passengers as proposed at a conference in Montreal last week.

The aviation body, which represents 240 airlines accounting for 84% of global air traffic, said it was good news that a diplomatic conference in Montreal last week had agreed to ratify the changes proposed in the Tokyo Convention of 1963.

"This agreement is good news for everybody who flies -- passengers and crew alike," said IATA's Tony Tyler, adding the ratification of the convention -- which requires the nod of at least 22 states -- will prove an effective deterrent against unruly behaviour on flights.

"The changes, along with the measures already being taken by airlines, will provide an effective deterrent for unacceptable behaviour on board aircraft," Tyler, who is the director general and chief executive of the body, said in a statement.

"With 300 incidents of unruly behaviour being reported each week, we urge governments to move quickly," he said of the convention put together by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

IATA said the the process has already gone through the initial stages into a brand new treaty ready for ratification in just five years which is a relatively short length of time for a new protocol in aviation.