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France has revealed a brutal clampdown on disruptive air passengers, arguing unruly behaviour poses a “growing threat to flight safety”.
The French government warns that in Europe, aviation agencies report between 200 and 500 in-air incidents per month. In 2024, the Air Transport Association (IATA) recorded one incident in every 395 flights.
As a result, France has published a decree in the Official Journal, which came into effect earlier this month (8 November) and has set up a specific database to allow French air carriers to report “harmful behaviour”.
France’s flying crackdown
Air passengers breaching the three main rules will now be subject to hefty fines which can reach €10,000 – or €20,000 in case of repeat offences.
This includes using an electronic or electrical device when its use has been prohibited during part or all of the flight, as well as obstructing the performance of the flight crew or the safety mission and refusing to comply with a safety instruction given by crew members.
In the most serious of cases, officials have confirmed that passengers could face boarding bans for a period of up to four years.
These sanctions apply to all flights operated by air carriers holding an operating license issued by France.
The new rules will co-exist with France’s current administrative sanctions, which include criminal prosecution for the most serious offences. This can lead to up to five years imprisonment and a fine of €75,000.
‘Jeopardises flight safety’
Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot said that the safety of passengers and crew is the country’s “absolute priority”, describing disruptive behaviour on board aircraft as “unacceptable”.
“It jeopardises flight safety and compromises the working conditions of flight crews,” he added.
“With this decree, we’re equipping ourselves with the means for swift, fair and proportionate enforcement. This new regulatory framework sends a strong message: disruptive behaviour will no longer be tolerated.”
Ryanair sues unruly passenger
The sanctions come into effect amidst growing efforts to curb antisocial behaviour on flights across Europe.
Earlier this year, Ryanair sued a passenger for €15,000 after the budget airline was forced to divert a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote to Portugal.
The plane had to remain in Porto overnight on 9 April 2024, and the airline had to provide 160 passengers with overnight hotel accommodation.
Ryanairdid not give details on the identity of the passenger or their actions, but described their behaviour as “inexcusable”.
“Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft for the benefit of the vast majority of passengers who do not disrupt flights,” the airline said.
