The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Thursday it has referred more than three dozen unruly passengers to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution amid a sharp rise in onboard incidents this year.
The FAA and Justice Department said they had established an information-sharing protocol for the FAA to refer unruly passenger cases to the FBI for review, Reuters reported.
→ American flight is diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant.
The Justice Department and FBI “are committed to prioritizing the review of the cases referred by the FAA and initiating criminal prosecution where appropriate,” the agencies said.
“Let this serve both as a warning and a deterrent: If you disrupt a flight, you risk not just fines from the FAA but federal criminal prosecution as well,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
On Oct. 8, President Joe Biden said he instructed the Justice Department to “deal” with the rising number of violent incidents onboard planes.
→ American Airlines recovers 100% of its frequencies to Buenos Aires.
Through Nov. 1, there have been 5,033 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,642 related to pandemic face covering regulations.
In June, a group representing major U.S. airlines, such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, as well as aviation unions, asked the Justice Department to prosecute violent air passengers.
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