The Tokyo convention, introduced in 1963, states that offences committed on airplanes are dealt with according to the law of the state where that plane was registered.
The place of registration of airplanes is now often neither the state in which the aircraft lands nor the state of the operator, so it can be difficult to enforce this law. Under the proposed legislation, unruly passengers would be dealt with according to the laws in the country where they disembark – making it much easier to address violent or otherwise illegal behaviour. It will also clearly define offences such as ‘threat to commit physical assault against a crewmember’, among other amendments.
Representatives from over 100 governments at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conference agreed changes to bring legislation in line with practice.
The protocol has yet to be ratified by governments, however, and must be taken up by at least 22 states in order to become law. If approved, the law would make air travel safer for passengers and crew alike, providing an effective deterrent for unruly behaviour by making the consequences of such behaviour clear and enforceable.
The ITF was one of the first organisations to campaign on this issue, kicking off its successful zero air rage campaign in 1999. Gabriel Mocho, ITF civil aviation secretary, welcomed the new developments, saying: “If crew are confronted with violent behaviour on a flight, they cannot simply walk away – or call the police to intervene. This protocol goes a long way to protecting the safety of aviation workers and we urge governments to ratify it. We also believe that cabin crew should receive proper training in dealing with violence to maximise the potential benefits of this law.”
