Flights from Dubai were delayed due to a "passenger disruption". The FlyDubai flight took off almost five hours late on Friday after the incident on board.
“The departure of FlyDubai flight FZ 1807 from Dubai International (DXB) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion (TLV) on August 25 was delayed as a result of passenger disruption,” a FlyDubai spokesperson told Khaleej Times in a statement.
In a video shared on social media, an apparent disagreement between passengers seems to have caused a commotion, with many fliers held up in the aisle.
"FlyDubai coordinated with the relevant authorities prior to departure, and the flight departed from DXB at 01:41 (local time) on August 26."
Additionally, the airline apologized for the inconvenience caused to the passengers' travel plans. "The safety of our passengers and crew is our priority," the spokesperson added.
Incident-response capabilities
Crew members of UAE-based airlines are trained to deal with unruly passengers. In May this year, the country ratified the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14), a move that strengthens the global legal deterrent against unruly and disruptive passenger incidents on board flights. It grants the UAE the jurisdiction to manage unruly and disruptive passengers that land in the country, irrespective of where the aircraft is registered.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) released an analysis in June showing that unruly passenger incidents worldwide increased in 2022.
As of 2022, there was one unruly incident reported for every 568 flights, up from one for every 835 in 2021. The most common categorisations of incidents in 2022 were non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication. Physical abuse incidents remain "very rare".
"For passengers and crew to have a safe and hassle-free experience, passengers must follow crew instructions. Our crews are well trained to handle unruly passenger scenarios, but it is unacceptable that a small but persistent minority of passengers disobey the rules in place to safeguard everyone's safety. Conrad Clifford, IATA's deputy director-general, had said then that there was no excuse for not following crew instructions.