China: Unruly plane passengers could face up to $7,500 fine under new laws
The injured check-in clerk lies on the floor in a pool of blood after being struck in the head. To the right is the plaque suspected to have been used in the attack. Images via Weibo.
CHINESE authorities have proposed the introduction of heavier penalties for unruly plane passengers who could face up to 50,000 yuan (US$7,500) in fines if the proposed revision to its civil aviation law is approved.
The proposed increase would be a sharp spike from the current paltry fines that only go up to a few hundred yuan.
The disruptive behavior to be added in the revision includes the usage of electronic devices on planes or the filing of false reports on dangerous goods.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Civil Aviation Administration was seeking public opinion on the matter until next month. The proposal was posted on its website this week in a move to revise current laws have not been changed for about two decades.
The proposed revision comes amid the double-digit growth of China’s aviation industry over the past five years as nearly half a billion people had boarded flights last year. About 42 million Chinese nationals, or roughly 10 percent of the total passengers, traveled abroad.
Authorities mooted the idea to revise the law after finding that the number of cases of unruly behavior has risen in tandem with the increased growth of passengers boarding flights.
Other punishable offences to be added in the revision include barging onto an aircraft, occupying seats or luggage carriers by force, and occupying or blocking service counters or security check passages, the paper reported.
Passengers who obstruct crew members from performing their duties, or those who provoked other passengers, were also liable to be punished.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recorded 9,316 incidents of bad behavior in 2014. In a survey, IATA also found that 10 airlines said they had to divert flights due to troublemakers in the last 12 months.
