Turkish authorities are cracking down on aeroplane passengers who leave their seats before the fasten seatbelt signs are extinguished on landing. Passengers now face a fine of up to £52 for any infringement of the new rules, which have been introduced to improve safety on board planes.
Officials have become increasingly frustrated at the number of people ignoring cabin crews’ repeated calls for passengers to remain seated while the plane is in motion. They argue that passengers who stand up and try to open the overhead luggage bins while the plane is taxiing are putting the safety of others as well as themselves at risk. Turkey’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has introduced a new regulation, based on Article 143 of the Turkish Civil Aviation Law No. 2920.
The new rule will apply to all carriers that fly to Turkey, officials said.
Passengers must remain seated with their seatbelts fastened until the plane reaches its designated parking spot.
Only when the fasten seat belt signs are extinguished will passengers be able to leave their seats.
However, they must also wait for their row to be called to disembark the aircraft.
In a statement, the CAA said: “According to the regulation, airlines are obliged to remind passengers to fasten their seatbelts during and after landing until they reach the parking position and to explicitly point out that any infringement will be reported to the aviation authority, and a fine will be imposed.”
Turkish Airline have already updated their landing announcement to comply with the new directives.
The company warns passengers that non-compliance with the rules could lead to the imposition of fines.
“Passengers who do not comply with the rules will be reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation through a Disruptive Passenger Report, and an administrative fine will be imposed in accordance with the applicable legal regulations,” the announcement states.
The new regulations have prompted a certain amount of scepticism on social media channels, where many question whether they will have any effect at all.
It is yet to be seen if other airlines will introduce similar warnings to Turkish Airlines for flights arriving in Turkey.
