Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the proposals in Unite the Union's ‘Abuse Doesn't Fly’ campaign; and what steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle abuse, aggression and physical assaults against aviation workers, (b) introduce a coordinated system for banning repeat offenders across airlines and airports and (c) establish minimum industry-wide standards for protecting aviation workers.

The Government takes abuse, aggression and violence against aviation workers extremely seriously. There are already significant penalties for disruptive behaviour on aircraft, including fines and imprisonment for the most serious offences.

On 2 October, the Department announced that it is working with airlines and trade unions to support the development of an industry-led approach to sharing information on persistently disruptive passengers. This will help airlines to identify repeat offenders and make informed decisions on whether restrictions or bans are appropriate.

The Department also continues to engage with the Civil Aviation Authority, airports, airlines and trade unions to identify further measures that could improve consistency in protecting aviation workers from abuse, aggression and violence.