FAA forwards 80 cases of unruly airline passengers to FBI

The FAA is hoping to curb unfriendly skies.

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Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that the agency was forwarding 80 unruly passenger cases from the past year to the FBI for criminal review.

“The FAA has seen a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior,” the agency said on its website.

The FAA said that the cases referred to the FBI for possible prosecution occurred between January 2021 and Wednesday, according to The Hill.

>> Delta Air Lines CEO asks for unruly passengers to be put on national no-fly list

Of those 80 referrals, 37 occurred during 2021 and 43 took place during 2022, officials told NBC News.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson began a zero-tolerance program campaign on Jan. 13, 2021, implementing stricter guidelines in handling unruly airline passengers, the agency stated on its website.

Through Tuesday, the FAA said there have been 499 unruly passengers reported since the guidelines went into effect. There were 324 mask-related incidents, and the agency has initiated 123 investigations and 59 enforcement cases.

“The Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are continuing to work together so unruly passengers face criminal prosecution when warranted,” the FAA said in a statement on Wednesday.

The FAA’s latest data comes after the CEO of Delta Air Lines asked the Justice Department to add unruly passengers to the national “no-fly” list earlier this month.

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