France is cracking down on air passengers who behave badly on flights with new penalties for rule breaches and a dedicated database where airlines can keep a record of offenders, leading to travel bans in the worst cases.
France’s criminal code already lays out the possibility of prosecution for some offenders, and can result in custodial sentences of up to five years and fines of up to €75,000. But, leaning on figures from European aviation agencies that show between 200 and 500 in-flight incidents of unruly behaviour are reported every month, French authorities issued a new decree on 8 November 2025, allowing their Civil Aviation Minister to impose other penalties.
That includes fines of up to €10,000 for disruptive air passengers, with penalties rising to €20,000 for repeat occurrences, and even flight boarding bans lasting up to four years for the gravest cases. Actions that could land passengers in trouble under the new framework include disobeying or refusing to comply with flight crew instructions, such as on the use of electronic devices, and preventing flight crew from carrying out their duties.
Les comportements perturbateurs à bord des avions sont de plus en plus nombreux et ce n'est pas acceptable.
— Philippe Tabarot (@PhilippeTabarot) November 17, 2025
Ils mettent en danger la sécurité du vol, gênent les passagers et compliquent le travail des équipages.
Avec la publication du décret du 7 novembre, nous disposons… pic.twitter.com/sSkk7qY5R4
The rules apply to commercial flights operated by carriers with a French-issued operating license. France’s Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, described passenger and crew safety as an “absolute priority” and slammed “unacceptable” behaviour that “jeopardises flight safety and compromises the working conditions of flight crews.” He said the new decree means France now possesses “the means for swift, fair and proportionate enforcement.” He also described the regulations as sending “a strong message: disruptive behaviour will no longer be tolerated.”
According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines recorded a surge in bad behaviour by air passengers post-COVID-19, with an increase from one incident per 835 flights in 2021 to one every 568 flights in 2022. The upward trend has continued and now in 2024 stood at one incident of unruly in-flight behaviour happening on average once every 395 flights.
In June 2025, Ryanair, an airline that handles more passengers in Europe than any other carrier, announced it would introduce fines of up to €500 for passenger misconduct and said it would consider pursuing guilty parties for civil damages to cover the costs of rerouting flights and compensating other flyers for disruption. Boss Michael O’Leary has frequently commented on the growing phenomenon and called for stricter rules on pre-flight drinking and alcohol sales, which he blames for many of the problems.
