Balearic islands urge EU to ban alcohol on flights

The head of tourism for the Balearic Islands has made an official request to the EU to ban alcohol on flights into its airports in an effort to crackdown on what it calls “anti-social tourism”.

The request was made to Spain and the EU in Brussels on Tuesday by Pilar Carbonell, head of tourism for the islands, which includes Mallorca and Ibiza, as reported by the BBC.

The request calls for a limit to be put on drinking alcohol on planes and in airports following a string of high profile incidents fuelled by inebriated passengers.

One incident saw passengers travelling to a stag do fighting in the aisles on a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Palma, Majorca, preventing staff and passengers from moving around the aircraft.

Three people were arrested when the plane landed.

Another high profile incident involved two strangers, who were snapped allegedly having intimate relations in their seats on a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Ibiza.

The incident was filmed by a fellow passenger who claimed that they were both drunk.

In a statement, Ms Carbonell said the limit in airports and on flights would “guarantee security… and tackle anti-social tourism”.

“We ask the central government and the European commission to ban the consumption of alcoholic drinks on flights and in airports,” she said.

“The aim of the measure is to improve passenger security and also that of security forces in planes and airports in our islands, who are often faced with drunk passengers.”

It was not clear whether the request was just aimed at flights heading to the Balearic Islands, or the wider European Union.

Last year Ryanair banned passengers from taking duty-free alcohol onboard flights from the UK to Ibiza to improve the “comfort and safety” of passengers and crew.

In an email sent to passengers explaining the ban, the airline said bags would now be searched at departure gates for alcohol, with any booze required to be stored in the hold or disposed of at the gate.