WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The rate of unruly airline passenger incidents has dropped sharply since regulators moved to impose fines in January but remains twice as high as last year, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday.

Six incidents occurred per 10,000 flights last week, a drop of 50% from the early 2021 period when regulators imposed fines but maintained a high level of service.

It is encouraging that the trend towards unruly passenger incidents has begun to change. However, we must continue to make progress. In a statement, Steve Dickson, FAA Administrator said that this remains a significant safety risk and that one incident was too many.

Dickson implemented the stricter policy because Trump supporters were disrupting flights at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Some pilots also resisted a federal requirement that they wear facemasks in light of ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks. Many have had their masks confiscated by airlines. Some face federal civil fines of $9,000 for not complying with the requirements.

FAA data shows that there had been 4,385 unruly passenger incidents as of Sept 21. This includes 3,199 mask-related incidents.

This agency called for airlines to be more responsive to unruly passengers. U.S. legislators have opened hearings on the matter, and some Democrats are calling for the U.S. Department of Justice (the Department of Justice) to bring criminal charges against violent or disruptive air passengers.