Violent passengers were counted by head

As Kommersant found out, the Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that the number of brawlers in air transport in 2022 began to decline. But the carriers say the statistics don’t reflect the real scale of the problem: although crews were allowed to use handcuffs and special equipment, the number of incidents in some cases has more than tripled. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is talking about the fault of the aviators themselves, who do not always report brawlers before the flight takes off, exacerbating the problem. Most often, conflicts arise due to refusal to pay extra for luggage or smoking on board. Some market participants insist on tougher penalties, while experts suggest creating a single register of brawlers who will not be able to buy tickets.

The number of cases of destructive behavior of air passengers in 2022 decreased by 22%, to 1.85 thousand, follows from the report of the main transport department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia sent to Rostransnadzor on January 19 (Kommersant has it). Almost 1.5 thousand passengers were removed from the flight already on the plane by decision of commanders and crew members. The largest number of incidents occurred at airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Murmansk. In total, 48 people were brought to criminal responsibility, 1.8 thousand to administrative responsibility, more than half were in a state of intoxication.

At the same time, the report acknowledges that it is extremely rare for police to receive information about drunken passengers before they board. According to the rules, drunk passengers must be reported to the police not only at the boarding stage, but also at the “early stage” – in the check-in area. In addition, “still negatively affects the state of aviation security” unauthorized entry of unauthorized persons into the closed areas of airports. In total, there were 63 incidents during the year, most of all in Domodedovo (8), Vnukovo (4), Sheremetyevo (2) and Pulkovo (2). At the airports of the Moscow air hub and Pulkovo, where enhanced security regimes were introduced in 2022, they refused to comment on this.

In the Aeroflot, S7, Ural Airlines group, they did not officially answer Kommersant. Sources in two large companies noted that the permission to use handcuffs or nylon belts on brawlers from the summer of 2022 did not reduce the conflict of such passengers, but only protected the crews from possible accusations of “abuse of authority.” Previously, Kommersant’s interlocutors say, “in especially difficult cases, improvised means were used on board, often scotch tape.”

Sources of Kommersant, contrary to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, speak of an increase in offenses. Thus, in Smartavia, the number of “destructive passengers” increased by 323.5% over the past year: from 17 cases in 2021 to 72 in 2022. The press service of the carrier clarified that the main violations are related to smoking during the flight, being heavily intoxicated, and refusing to pay for excess hand luggage. “There was no need to use special equipment,” Smartavia says.

Another company added that the number of brawlers decreased only “in proportion to the decrease in overall passenger traffic” (by 6% in 2022): “The figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs do not reflect the real trend, just the fewer passengers, the less brawlers.” Most often, the “destructive” is caused by the abuse of alcohol before boarding, the interlocutor of “Kommersant” says: “Hand luggage does not fit, I didn’t like the place, someone was pushed in the aisle, they begin to open their arms and it’s completely logical that they don’t fly anywhere.”

Meanwhile, Azur Air confirms a decrease in the number of cases of destructive behavior, and in order to minimize them, they propose to tighten penalties. The same point of view is shared by one of the top 5 companies, which emphasizes that now the majority of violent passengers “get off with fines for disorderly conduct or appearing in public places in a state of intoxication.” In rare cases, an administrative article is applied on blocking transport communications (up to 100 thousand rubles fine), even less often it comes to criminal proceedings: under the article on hooliganism in transport (up to 500 thousand rubles or up to five years in prison) in 2022 eight people were convicted.

Administrative responsibility needs to be tightened, Ilya Zotov, head of the All-Russian Association of Passengers, agrees. But the protocols must be accompanied by photo and video recording, which is not currently available: “To avoid situations where the air staff, not wanting to provide the proper level of comfort to the passenger, interprets dissatisfaction as inappropriate behavior.” Mr. Zotov believes that the most effective solution is the creation of a unified federal register of brawlers, getting into which will make it difficult for malicious violators to buy tickets. Now, according to him, almost every carrier has its own black list, but a passenger “blocked” in one company can safely use the services of another.

Aigul Abdullina