MPs’ draft amendments to the Air Code of the Russian Federation aimed at dealing with brawlers who stage rampage on board airliners in a state of intoxication was submitted to the State Duma lower house of parliament on Wednesday. It is proposed to equip airliners’ cabins with automatic surveillance cameras and to notify all passengers of the technical novelty, which, according to the authors of the idea, is to create a psychological barrier for potential rowdies. Air carriers have already estimated that surveillance cameras for one aircraft will cost 1.5 million euros and their installation would increase the cost of tickets.
The explanatory note to the document, quoted by the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, says that “in view of the increasing number of incidents with unlawful actions on board aircraft the necessity has arose to install on them video cameras for surveillance of the locations of the passengers and crew by special technical equipment operating in an automatic mode, having the functions of photographing, filming and making video records...” According to the idea of the lawmakers, passengers before take-off must be notified that they hidden cameras are shooting them. In addition, the video will “help in the resolution of disputes between passengers and the crew of the aircraft.”
Scandals on board airliners of Russian air carriers have really become more frequent of late, the Kommersant daily writes. The Aeroflot airline over the past three years has recorded 1.1 thousand violations committed by drunken citizens on board.
Russia’s aviation authorities have proposed their measures against the troublemakers. Head of the transportation security department of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) Yuri Saprykin said on Wednesday that the major airlines (Aeroflot, Transaero, UTair) have called for accompanying flights by air security officers. Rosaviatsiya has supported the request additionally proposing to allow the security officers to use electric stunning devices and handcuffs.
First Deputy Director General of Transaero Dmitry Stolyarov estimated that equipping of the cabin of only one airliner with video surveillance cameras will cost up to 1.5 million euros, emphasises the Kommersant daily. He also does not understand “how legitimate are these videos,” who will certify video recorders on board and who will pay for their installation. “If air carriers are obligated to do this, it will lead to ticket price rises,” Stolyarov warned. Aeroflot believes that both video cameras in the cabins and the prohibition to carry on board alcohol from a duty free shop are “substitution of notions and reinventing the wheel.” “The right measure to combat rowdies that has been tested in the United States, Japan, Korea, and all developed countries - is making the black lists of passengers,” the representative of the air carrier said.