WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - US federal agencies are dealing with a rising number of unruly airline passengers on increasingly crowded planes, including thousands who have refused to wear masks.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday (July 20) that since Jan 1 it has received 3,509 unruly passenger reports, including 2,605 for refusing to wear a mask.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told a US House panel on Tuesday that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic there have been over 85 physical assaults on TSA officers.

The TSA says inflight disturbances have risen from two incidents per one million screened in 2019 to 12 per one million in 2021.

The rising numbers of incidents come as US air travel has hit a post-February 2020 high as more Americans get vaccinated.

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