Budget carriers at Luton Airport. Credit: James Graham Dinsdale – Shutterstock
UK government ministers have a plan to create a national database that lets airlines share information about disruptive passengers.
Those who behave badly on board could then face refusal of service across all UK carriers rather than just one. The Department for Transport and Home Office have developed the scheme so carriers can act together against repeat offenders.
Each airline would still decide its own response yet would hold the power to bar listed individuals from future flights.
Incidents of bad behaviour are on the rise on UK routes
Civil Aviation Authority data has revealed cases of drunk, violent or unruly passengers rose from 390 in 2019 to a whopping 1,245 in 2023.
Videos of mid-air fights and threats against crew have circulated widely this year. In one case a drunk passenger forced a Ryanair pilot to abort a landing at Bristol after a flight from Krakow. For this, Stephen Blofield, aged 61, received a ten-month jail sentence. Jet2 diverted two flights following passenger brawls on routes from Turkey. Crew faced verbal and physical assaults, one involving a 60-year-old woman struck by accident. On one flight from Zaragoza, Spain, a drunk passenger even tried to force the door open on a WizzAir flight.
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary has called on airports to stop serving alcohol before early flights because the airline now diverts nearly one flight daily due to onboard disruption, up from one a week ten years ago.
Carriers and ministers to discuss new yob passenger database
Ministers will meet airline representatives later in June to finalise how the blacklist would operate.
Industry body Airlines UK voiced support for the move. Chief executive Tim Alderslade said that UK airlines already operate a zero-tolerance policy and described a national ban list as an important next step in protecting the majority from a tiny minority.
Jet2 chief operating officer Phil Ward confirmed the airline has been lobbying for such a scheme for some time. He said Jet2 maintains a zero-tolerance approach and would welcome the ability to extend bans across other airlines.
Other passengers back tougher penalties for drunken disorder
A YouGov survey of 5,173 British adults carried out in April found three-quarters favour a central database so disruptive passengers can receive bans from all flights. Only 11 per cent opposed the idea.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, pointed out that a minority of passengers take airport drinking too far and create havoc for everyone else. He added that the penalty for drunk and disorderly conduct should match the serious risk to safety.
Under a new development, drunk and abusive passengers may face flying ban according to Labour’s “national blacklist” plans in the United Kingdom.
The government aims to tighten the gaps by enabling information about drunk and disruptive flyers to be shared between carriers.
As… pic.twitter.com/rgG7UskYKV
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 1, 2026
A government source stressed that people should feel free to enjoy a drink at the airport but antisocial behaviour on planes remains unacceptable because it endangers passengers and crew while ruining holidays. Existing laws already cover offences on flights, yet ministers want better ways to tackle persistent offenders.
Most online are generally backing the idea too. @WingsEcosse on X expressed, “Flying is not a right. The rest of the world is also watching our diverted flight numbers. Diverting costs money so it costs all of us just like shoplifting & insurance fraud do.”
@BentCopper asked, “Who determines drunk and abusive? Is this without a conviction?”
@rocketfrogz is in no doubt about the scheme. “Should have been introduced 10 years ago- absolute no brainier.
Take their passports off them too.”
Data protection rules create current barriers
At present airlines cannot share passenger details because of GDPR restrictions. Therefore, someone banned by one carrier can simply book with another.
The proposed database would allow cooperative management between government and industry without new legislation, although ministers must still address data protection concerns.
Civil liberties experts raise questions about fairness
Campaigners have expressed worries over the scheme. Josie Appleton from the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life asked who would decide list entries, what threshold would apply and how long bans would last.
She warned that government cooperation with private companies to restrict access to transport could set a troubling precedent.
Despite these reservations, ministers insist the plans target only the worst cases of chaos while leaving ordinary travellers free to fly without fuss.
The meetings this month will focus on practical delivery of a system that balances safety with individual rights.
