Incidents with aggressive passengers on planes up 38%

The number of incidents with aggressive or disruptive passengers aboard planes was 38 percent higher this spring than a year ago. And that is despite the absence of the endless lines that plagued Schiphol Airport in the spring of 2022, De Telegraaf reports based on figures from the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate.

In April, May, and June, airlines reported 249 incidents to the Inspectorate, compared to 181 in the same period last year. The number of incidents reported to the Koninklijke Marechaussee increased from 77 in all of 2019 to 130 in 2022. So far, the military policing force responsible for airport security has received 107 reports this year.

“The growing number of incidents in aviation worries us,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Infrastructure told the newspaper. “Flying is one of the safest forms of transport, and we want to keep it that way. That is why all parties involved are joining forces to further tackle this problem.”

“The number of reports is indeed higher, but every report is one too many,” Chris van Elswijk of the Dutch Cabin Crew Association said. “Alcohol is often involved, but full planes are also often a thing. Usually, it is a combination of factors.”

The current number of flights to and from Schiphol Airport is still lower than in 2019, the last year before the coronavirus pandemic and then widespread staff shortages significantly reduced flights at the Netherlands’ main airport, but the number of incidents is still 20 percent higher, pilots union VNV pointed out. “It’s frustrating. We have been asking for action for some time and ask the government to also argue at the European level for recognition of digital pre-declarations and to quickly implement a national rollout of blocklists, starting with the most serious offenses,” a spokesperson told the Telegraaf.

“Troublemakers have a major impact on our passengers and our employees,” a spokesperson for Dutch airline KLM said. “Any form of physical violence is unacceptable. Combating this is, therefore, of great importance, both for our staff and for our passengers.” Since the summer, airlines at Schiphol have been working with a digital declaration form, which should make it easier for cabin crew to report incidents to the authorities.

The Ministry of Infrastructure organized a meeting at Schiphol on Thursday where the involved parties will discuss how to tackle this problem. “All parties indicate that we are on the same page: zero tolerance for disruptive behavior in aviation. And together, we will look at what else we can do in the future to combat this type of behavior, in addition to all the actions that are already underway,” the Ministry said.