The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it has referred more than 310 episodes of unruly behavior by passengers — including physically or sexually assaulting crewmembers and other passengers and trying to breach the flight deck — to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for criminal prosecution.
The FAA said in late August that 43 cases involved events that occurred over the past year and were among 310 of the most serious cases referred to the FBI since the two agencies entered a partnership in late 2021 to crack down on dangerous behavior by passengers during flights.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for unruly behavior,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “It threatens the safety of everyone on board, and we have zero tolerance for it.”
When the FAA refers an unruly passenger case to the FBI, the FBI works with other agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to investigate or take other appropriate action.
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