13 March 2023 - The term “unruly passenger” refers to any passenger who fails to respect the rules of conduct while on board an aircraft or refuses to follow the instructions of crew members, thereby disturbing good order and instruction and discipline.1 Unruly behaviour includes assault of other passengers or crew, sexual abuse or harassment, abusive consumption of alcohol and/or narcotics (...)

13 March 2023 - Two recent incidents have once again highlighted the ongoing issue of intoxicated passengers on board aircraft. On 16 May 2022, a flight originally scheduled from Gran Canaria to Newcastle was forced to divert to Porto, where a disruptive passenger was taken off the aircraft. The following day, another flight between Manchester and Faro was also forced to divert, this time to Nantes, due to the safety of the flight being compromised by five intoxicated passengers (...)

13 March 2023 - It is not unusual for aircraft Operators to have to transport deportees, inadmissible persons, or persons in lawful custody. IFALPA is not opposed to this practice, however, strict guidelines should be followed to ensure that the safety and security of the flight are not compromised. The final decision on accepting such passengers and any escort onboard should rest with the pilot- in-command (...)

13 March 2023 - At all times during a hijack, the safety of the passengers and crew as well as the denial of the aircraft to the hijacker(s) is of paramount importance. The pilot-in-command, who is responsible for the aircraft’s security and has the best overview of the situation, must have the means to react according to the level of risk and the actual situation on board. Any measures taken should enhance the ability of the pilot-in-comman to assess the situation thoroughly and, if possible, bring it under control (...)

8 march 2023 - Aviation is a global endeavour that connects people and cultures. Differences may create challenges; it is important to always engage with respectful communication and behaviour. Misunderstandings are created and conflicts can arise when behaviour accepted by some is experienced as inappropriate by others. Everyone has physical and emotional boundaries shaped by their own cultural, religious, national, and personal background (...)

2 March 2023 - IFALPA has been made aware of some airlines and military aircraft being called over 121.50 or 123.45 by military warships in the Pacific region, notably South China Sea, Philippe Sea, East of Indian Ocean. In some cases, the flights were provided vectors to avoid the airspace over the warship. We have reason to believe there may be interferences to GNSS and RADALT as well (...)

1 March 2023 - The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) is extremely concerned about the ongoing security issues faced by commercial aircraft and crews operating in the Papua Region of Indonesia, as reported by our local Member Association, Ikatan Pilot Indonesia (IPI). On 9 January 2023, local militants fired bullets at a cargo plane landing at Oksibil Airport, which resulted in a go around and a diversion (...)

15 January 2023 – The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) is closely monitoring the developments related to this morning’s accident of Yeti Airlines Flight YT-961, an ATR-72 (registration 9N-ANC) that impacted the ground on final approach to Pokhara airport (Nepal), following a flight from Kathmandu (...)

13 January 2023 - The ICAO North Atlantic Systems Planning Group (NAT SPG) has issued an Oceanic Errors Safety Bulletin1 (OESB) concerning deviations observed on the North Atlantic Tracks (...)

3 January 2023 - On 6 June 2020 a Boeing 787-10, performing the RNP-Y approach for runway 31L at Abu Dhabi (OMAA), using standard QNH 1013 instead of actual QNH 999, descended below the approach vertical profile. The aircraft descended to 210 feet AGL, 1.3 NM from the runway threshold, approximately 350 feet below the correct altitude, according to the approach profile, when the flight crew acquired the PAPI, indicating 4 red, and initiated a go-around (...)