A crackdown on the sale of alcohol at British airports is being considered by Tariq Ahmed, the UK’s new aviation minister, in a bid to tackle disruptive behaviour at airports and on flights.
Ahmed has called for the way bars, restaurants and duty free shops sell alcohol to be reviewed. Normal licensing restrictions do not apply to bars and shops in airports; they are allowed to sell alcohol at any time of the day or night.
Ahmed also hopes to reexamine the measures that prevent drunk passengers from boarding flights. “I think that it’s important for the safety and security of all passengers that we ensure that regime is actually fit for purpose,” he said.
At least 442 people were arrested in the two years prior to March 2016 on suspicion of being intoxicated on a plane or at an airport, according to figures obtained under freedom of information requests. Six men on a stag party were involved in a mid-air brawl and arrested by German police earlier in this year. And an easyJet flight from Manchester to Paphos was delayed after a 25-year-old woman allegedly assaulted the captain after being asked to leave the plane.
Do you agree with reviewing the rules on alcohol sales and consumption at UK airports, or should people be free to make their own decisions? Share your thoughts and experiences in the form below.
