The boss of pub giant JD Wetherspoon has claimed Ryanair’s call for a two-drink limit to be introduced at airports would mean passengers would have to be breathalysed.
Sir Tim Martin said it had “never been suggested” its customers cause disruption on flights.
He made the comment after Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said airport pubs should be banned from serving alcohol before early morning flights, and a two-drink limit be imposed at other times.
Sir Tim told The Times: “A two-drink limit would be extraordinarily difficult to implement, short of breathalysing passengers, and would, in our opinion, be an overreaction – especially since many of the problems stem from incoming flights.”
He added: “It is in everyone’s interests to have good behaviour at airports and on flights.”
JD Wetherspoon told the newspaper that pubs in airports were “highly supervised” with strict policies preventing excessive alcohol consumption.
Airside bars in the UK are not required to follow restrictions on opening hours which apply to other venues selling alcohol.
Being drunk on a plane is a criminal offence in the UK and can be punished by a fine of up to £5,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
On Thursday, Ryanair welcomed the decision by a court in France which it said found two passengers guilty of causing disruption onboard a flight from Stansted to Ibiza that was diverted to Toulouse in May last year.
The pair received a combined penalty of more than 10,000 euros (£8,640) and received suspended prison sentences of up to 10 months, according to the airline.
In January last year, Ryanair announced it had started taking legal action to recover losses against disruptive passengers when they force a flight to be diverted.
It said it filed legal proceedings against a passenger in Ireland to seek 15,000 euros (£12,500) in damages related to a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote.
