The UAE has signed up to a global protocol to manage international passengers who arrive in the country on international flights, giving airport authorities new powers to deal with rowdy passengers.

As of May 1, authorities will have jurisdiction over disruptive passengers responsible for physical assault, harassment, smoking, or failure to follow crew instructions.

The regulations will be enforced regardless of the aircraft's location to close a gap in current aviation law that prevents unruly passengers from being prosecuted for less severe offenses.

A plane incident can compromise flight safety, cause delays and disrupt operations, adversely affecting passengers' travel plans and crew's work environment.

With the UAE's ratification of the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14), a global legal deterrent against bad behavior aboard planes will be strengthened.

It will not only give the UAE authorities new powers to deal with unruly passengers that land in the country, it will also encourage other states to ratify MP14 because it is a major aviation market and a member of ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organisation] Council. According to Kamil Al-Awadhi, African & Middle East regional vice president of IATA, MP14 will be highly effective in dealing with unruly passengers.

It will ensure greater international harmonisation and strengthen the legal deterrent against unruly and disruptive passengers who pose a threat to the safety of passengers and crew."

The airline industry places a high priority on safety on board.

Two men on an IndiGo flight who had been drinking heavily verbally abused the cabin crew on a flight from Dubai to Mumbai last month.

They were arrested on landing and charged with endangering others' lives and safety.

On a Vistara flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai, crew members tied an Italian woman to her seat after she punched one member of staff and spat at another