UK airport drinking laws to be reviewed

The UK’s new minister of aviation plans to review airport alcohol laws in a bid to tackle excessive pre-flight consumption, which could lead to greater restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

Lord Ahmed is to review airport drinking laws at British airports

Currently bars and restaurants in airports can sell alcohol at any time of the day or night, with a a pre-flight drink, at any time of the day, a holiday ritual for many keen to kick off their break and in some cases calm their nerves.

However following a spate of incidents involving drunk passengers, restrictions on alcohol sales could be tightened, with Lord Tariq Ahmad, UK minister for aviation, announcing plans to review current laws on drinking at UK airports.

“It’s important that passengers who board planes are also responsible and have a responsibility to other passengers, and that certainly should be the factor which we bear in mind”, said Ahmad. “If you are a young family travelling on a plane you want to go from point A to B – you don’t want to be disrupted.”

“I don’t think we want to kill merriment altogether, but I think it’s important that passengers who board planes are also responsible and have a responsibility to other passengers, and that certainly should be the factor which we bear in mind.”

Adding: “In terms of specific regulations of timings of outlets [which sell alcohol] and how they operate, clearly I want to have a look at that.”

The minister also said he would review measures in place to prevent drunk passengers from boarding flights, raising the possibility of screening travellers.

“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 added.

British airports have come under pressure in recent years to crackdown on alcohol sales in their departure lounges following a surge in incidents of anti-social behaviour from drunk passengers.

In the last two years 442 people were held on suspicion of being drunk at an airport or on a plane. In February, six men on a stag party were arrested by German police after a mid-air brawl caused a Ryanair flight from Luton to Bratislava, Slovakia, to divert to Berlin.

Ryanair has already banned passengers from taking duty-free alcohol onboard flights from the UK to Ibiza. Any alcohol purchased by passengers prior to their flight must now be stored in the hold or disposed of at the gate.

In 2014, 114 incidents were recorded at British airports, according to the Civil Aviation Authority, which was astonishingly higher than the number recorded by the Federal Aviation Administration across the whole of the US during the same period, where 112 incidents occurred.

Responding to Ahmad’s plans, Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said it would work with the government should a review be initiated.

“As an industry we are keen for alcohol to be sold and drunk responsibly, including, of course, at airports, and despite venues airside not being covered by the Licensing Act, the industry still adheres to internal policies to ensure that alcohol is sold and consumed responsibly”, said Simmonds. “Staff training is an important element, and there are also considerable powers already available to deter and deal with those that misuse alcohol when waiting to board a flight.”

For more on drinking responsibly, and well, while travelling, check out our top 10 tips for in-flight drinking.