More than seven in 10 aviation workers, including staff at Birmingham Airport, are subjected to verbal abuse at least once a month, according to a new survey by trade union Unite.
The findings have prompted the union to launch its “Abuse Doesn’t Fly” campaign, calling for stronger laws to allow disruptive and abusive passengers to be banned from airports as well as airlines.
The survey of around 1,800 workers across the UK’s civil aviation sector found 72 per cent of ground staff and 71 per cent of cabin crew had experienced verbal abuse from passengers at least monthly. The poll also found that 31 per cent of ground staff and 42 per cent of cabin crew had been physically assaulted while carrying out their duties.
Alcohol was identified as the leading trigger for abusive behaviour, with 95 per cent of cabin crew and 55 per cent of ground staff citing it as a factor. Flight delays, cancellations and baggage issues were also commonly blamed.
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Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said: “Abuse towards airport and aviation workers is not ‘part of the job’, it is a workplace safety issue that affects workers on the ground and in the air and can ultimately put other passengers at risk.
“Airports and airlines now need to up their game on this. They must make the safety of workers their top priority and work with Unite to stamp out workplace abuse once and for all.”
The survey included responses from workers at Birmingham Airport, where staff described facing harassment, intimidation and physical aggression from passengers.
One female security worker said: “It happens every day. These passengers are always allowed to fly.”
She claimed she had been accused of racism, subjected to threatening behaviour and verbal abuse, and had seen colleagues physically assaulted by passengers.
A female cabin crew member described an incident in which a passenger became aggressive during a flight and started pushing a colleague after an altercation with another traveller.
Oliver Richardson, Unite national officer, said: “Every aviation worker has the right to work free from abuse, threats, intimidation and violence.
“If both airports and airlines have the legal right to ban disruptive passengers from flying, it would go a long way to ensuring workers are kept safe.”