Unruly air passengers in China will be blacklisted under a new regulation that came into effect today, the government's latest bid to curb growing incidents of air rage that gave a bad name to the Communist giant.
Five top Chinese airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Spring Airlines - also decided today to limit services to passengers deemed "uncivilised".
The five companies, together with their subsidiaries, account for more than 80 per cent of China's total air traffic capacity, will record passengers who misbehave, such as those who disrupt air traffic.
The database will be shared among the airline companies in addition to tourism and civil aviation authorities. Those on the blacklist will be subject to limited services, state- run Xinhua news agency reported.
Under the new regulations issued by the China Air Transport Association, 10 types of misconduct such as blocking and attacking check-in counters, security check passages and boarding gates would attract action by authorities.
They also include fighting inside the airport or on board the aircraft, attempts to force entry to the cockpit or to open the emergency exits without instruction and spreading false information about terrorist attacks.
The record will be kept for one to two years, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
In recent years, the media has reported numerous dramatic incidents involving irate passengers, ranging from blocking moving aircraft on an active runway to fistfights with airport employees -- embarrassing image-conscious authorities.
In one of the most recent episodes, a flight departing a city in southwestern China was canceled after irate passengers opened three emergency exits following a seven-hour delay.
Recently, a China Eastern passenger opened an emergency exit on an aircraft so that he could get off the plane faster.
Chinese authorities have repeatedly asked its nationals to behave in public places, saying their tantrums had "severely damaged the overall image of Chinese people".
In September last year, four poorly behaved Chinese tourists who created a ruccus at Bangkok airport following a flight delay were punished and placed on the "uncivilised tourists' behaviours" blacklist.
They will stay on the blacklist for up to three years, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) had said.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), China is expected to overtake the US as the world's largest passenger market by 2029. In 2034, China will account for some 1.19 billion passengers, 758 million more than 2014 with an average annual growth rate of 5.2 per cent.
