France hits disruptive air passengers with fines up to €20,000 and flight bans

France has introduced new penalties for disruptive behaviour on flights, bringing in fines of up to €20,000 and flight bans lasting as long as four years, according to a report by The Independent. The measures, set out in Decree No. 2025-1063 that took effect on November 8, outline strict consequences for passengers who refuse to follow safety instructions or obstruct cabin crew duties.

Under the new rules, the Minister for Civil Aviation can issue fines of up to €10,000 for a first offence and €20,000 for repeated violations. Listed breaches include using prohibited electronic devices, obstructing crew safety tasks and ignoring instructions issued by flight crew. As reported by The Independent, in the most serious cases, passengers may be prevented from boarding any flight in France for up to four years.

A dedicated database will also be created to allow airlines to report incidents of harmful behaviour, with the French Civil Aviation Authority responsible for managing the records.


“The safety of passengers and crew is our absolute priority,” Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said. “Disruptive behaviour on board aircraft is unacceptable. It jeopardises flight safety and compromises the working conditions of flight crews.” He added that the new framework represents “swift, fair and proportionate enforcement” and sends a clear message that such behaviour “will no longer be tolerated and will be subject to effective administrative sanctions.”

Unruly passenger incidents remain a growing concern for aviation authorities. The International Air Transport Association expects an incident to occur every 395 flights, while the European Aviation Safety Agency reports between 200 and 500 cases per month across Europe.

The new penalties mark one of France’s strongest steps to deter disorderly conduct in the air and reinforce safety standards across its aviation network.