A brief ceremony was held today at ICAO for the deposit with the Organization, in its capacity as depositary of ratifications, of Italy’s instrument of accession to the Protocol to Amend the 1963 Tokyo Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, authorized by Law No. 46 of April 1, 2026, “Accession to the Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, done at Montreal on April 4, 2014” (Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series No. 83 of April 10, 2026).
The Protocol, adopted in 2014 at the conclusion of a diplomatic conference attended by Italy with a delegation composed of representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), strengthens measures to address “unruly” or “disruptive” passenger behavior on board aircraft by providing, among other things:
- the extension of jurisdiction, already recognized for the State of aircraft registration, to the State of the operator and the State where the aircraft lands to disembark the unruly passenger, as well as a duty of cooperation among States that intend to exercise jurisdiction over the passenger’s conduct;
- the introduction by States of criminal or administrative sanctions for the conduct listed in the Protocol itself—such as physical assault or the threat of assault against a crew member; refusal to comply with a lawful instruction issued by, or on behalf of, the aircraft commander for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the aircraft or of the persons or property on board—without prejudice to any provisions already established under national legal systems.
The provisions introduced by the Protocol will enter into force for Italy on September 1, 2026.
Italy’s accession to the Montreal Protocol, in addition to its existing status as a Party to the Tokyo Convention, comes at a particularly significant time given the increase in disruptions to air transport caused by unruly passengers both on board aircraft and at airports, as well as the growing number of assaults against airline and airport personnel.
Promoting respect for appropriate standards of behavior toward others and shared spaces, and helping ensure safe and pleasant air travel, is the objective of the “F-Air Play: Play Fair, Fly Safe” campaign launched by ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, to raise passenger awareness of appropriate conduct during air travel and at airports. The campaign is part of the broader EASA initiative on the “Unruly Passengers” phenomenon – https://www.enac.gov.it/news/la-campagna-enac-f-air-play-gioca-pulito-vola-sereno-online-sui-monitor-degli-aeroporti-italiani/
ENAC is also developing regulations for the prevention and management of unruly passengers.
Various initiatives have also been launched at airports by the different institutional stakeholders, aimed not only at raising awareness but also at addressing the phenomenon and protecting aviation sector workers from assaults.
