[THE INVESTOR] Korean Air said on July 17 it has created a no-fly list for unruly passengers on its flights.

“Although not all, some past cases can be subject to the new rules retroactively,” a company spokesperson told The Investor. 

The drunk passenger who was arrested for attacking crew members and other passengers onboard a Korean Air flight in December.

The no-fly list that took effect on June 16 bans disruptive passengers for at least three years. Depending on the seriousness of the act, the rules can be applied for lifetime.

The list will include passengers who are subject to criminal charges for threatening safety of other passengers and flight attendants through physical and verbal attacks, including sexual harassment.

Other airlines such as Delta Air Lines and Japan Airlines also have a no-fly list.

Korean Air’s latest decision comes as a follow-up measure to tackle a growing number of unruly passengers in recent years. According to the Transport Ministry, travelers who were handed over to airport police for in-flight assaults reached 433 in 2016, with the number soaring 11 times each year over the past five years.

In December last year, a 34-year-old drunk man attacked crew members and other passengers onboard a Korean Air plane from Hanoi to Incheon. He was later revealed to be the heir apparent of Doojung, a local makeup brush maker for global beauty brands like Chanel, Giorgio Armani and Lancome.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)