Crawley MP Peter Lamb welcomes the Prime Minister’s backing, as part of the ‘Abuse doesn’t fly’ campaign.

Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley, has welcomed the Prime Minister’s backing for tougher action against abusive and disruptive airline passengers, following years of campaigning to improve protections for those working in the aviation industry.

Representing Crawley, home to thousands of workers employed at Gatwick Airport and across the aviation sector, Peter has long been a vocal advocate for the safety and wellbeing of airport staff, calling for stronger measures to tackle unacceptable behaviour towards workers and passengers.

Most recently, Peter has been working with Unite, on the Abuse Doesn’t Fly campaign, which calls for greater protections for aviation workers facing verbal abuse, intimidation, aggression and physical assaults. In July, Peter tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament supporting the campaign, urging the Government, airport operators and police to introduce stronger measures to protect staff, including coordinated bans for repeat offenders, improved security and better support for workers affected by abuse.

The Prime Minister has now backed action on one of the campaign’s key demands, announcing that the Government will work with airlines and trade unions to develop a new system to share information about persistently disruptive passengers, allowing airlines to prevent those banned by one operator from simply travelling with another.

Peter Lamb, MP for Crawley, said:

“I am delighted that the Prime Minister has backed tougher action against abusive and disruptive airline passengers, something I have been campaigning on for many years. With Gatwick Airport on our doorstep, thousands of Crawley residents work in aviation, and I know just how important it is that they can go about their jobs without facing abuse, threats or violence”

“Nobody should go to work worrying about being shouted at, threatened or physically assaulted simply for doing their job. Equally, passengers should be able to travel without their journeys being ruined by the unacceptable behaviour of a small minority.”

“I have been proud to be campaigning on the Abuse Doesn’t Fly campaign, including raising the issue in Parliament, and I am pleased that the Government is now taking forward one of its central demands. For too long, passengers banned from one airline have been able to simply book with another. Greater cooperation between airlines will help close this loophole and send a clear message that abusive and disruptive behaviour has consequences.”