Fórsa trade union, which represents thousands of aviation workers in Ireland, has joined the new safety initiative by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and is now a signatory to the 'joint declaration on unruly passenger behaviour in airports and on aircraft'.

Fórsa sought to have the union’s name added to the list of stakeholders backing the declaration following its publication in September.

Katie Morgan, Fórsa’s head of Services and Enterprises, the divisional home for the union’s aviation branches, explained: “As a trade union, the potential risk to the health and safety of our members is a crucial matter of concern. 

“We’ve seen first-hand the effect that some unruly passenger behaviour has had on our members. In that context we welcome any initiatives taken to help mitigate risks to aviation workers. 

“Our divisional executive supports the joint declaration. It closely aligns with the objectives of our union in terms of aviation members’ safety, and it’s a welcome initiative.

“We look forward to working with this coalition to protect and improve the experience of aviation workers and passengers,” she said. 

Fórsa represents pilots and cabin crew at Aer Lingus, Emerald Airlines (Aer Lingus regional operator), and Ryanair, in addition to office-based staff in airlines, airports and the IAA/AirNav, as well as air traffic controllers and radio operators at AirNav. 

The union continues to engage with cabin crew members who’ve been affected by this issue. If you have been affected by unruly passenger behaviour while on duty, please get in touch via cabincrew@forsa.ie.

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