To date this year there has been an almost 80 percent increase on 2024 in disruptive passenger behaviour at Dublin airport, according to statistics from An Garda Síochána.
This is despite there still being just over half of the year remaining, and comes on the back of a 50 percent increase in incidents of disruptive behaviour reported in 2024 in comparison to 2023.
The year has already seen over 30 incidents of disruptive passenger behaviour reported to Dublin Airport Garda station, with the three most common incidents of 2025 so far being “offensive behaviour onboard aircraft”, “obstructs/assaults an authorised officer” and “intoxicated onboard aircraft”.
Ahead of what is typically one of the airport’s busiest periods of the year, the June bank holiday weekend, aviation industry stakeholders recommitted to a campaign launched last year, #NotOnMyFlight, that seeks to address disruptive conduct.
Over half a million passengers are expected to travel through Irish airports this weekend.
According to the Irish Aviation Authority, in addition to a rise in incidents reported to gardaí there has been a continued rise in industry reports to the authority, a trend that has seen “year on year increases” as airline crews have been encouraged to increase their reporting of unruly behaviour.
CEO of daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports, Kenny Jacobs said that they have “great passengers at Dublin and Cork airports”.
“But like every airport in the world there’s sometimes a few bad eggs whose behaviour impacts everyone. We want our airports to be enjoyable and stress-free for passengers and it’s important that the sector works together to tackle the issue of unruly and dangerous behaviour,” Mr Jacobs said.
“Everyone needs to play their part and daa will continue to work closely with our Airport Police teams, our airline partners and An Garda Síochána to ensure unruly passengers are dealt with and our airports are safe and enjoyable places for all.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region gardaí, Paul Cleary said “incidents of unruly conduct in airports and on planes can have serious consequences for both passengers and staff”.
“It can be a frightening experience that endangers passengers and crew, while it can also mean delayed flights and missed connections.
“Over the past year we have been working with our aviation partners under a joint declaration to address disruptive and dangerous behaviour, and we remain very committed to that. While the majority of people travel respectfully, An Garda Síochána is prepared to act where necessary to ensure a safe and secure environment for all who travel through our airports,” the assistant commissioner said.