Ryanair pushes for airport booze limits to combat disruptive flyers
The budget airline is locked in a legal battle with a passenger who forced a diversion en route to Spain
Ryanair, the budget airline known for its no-frills approach, has once again demanded that European authorities impose limits on the sale of alcoholic beverages at airports to cut down on the number of in-flight disruptions.
This call comes as the airline continues its legal action against a passenger responsible for a costly flight diversion on the way to Spain last year.
In April 2024, a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands was forced to divert to Porto, Portugal, due to the "inexcusable behaviour" of a single passenger.
According to the airline, this single diversion resulted in significant costs for excess fuel, overnight accommodation for the crew and more than 160 passengers and legal fees. Ryanair is now suing that passenger for around 15,000 euros in damages in a landmark case.
A few months after this incident, in September 2024, another plane travelling from Manchester to Ibiza was forced to land in France when a fight broke out among a small group of intoxicated passengers. Following this, Michael O’ Leary issued a public appeal to establish a two-drink limit at airports across Europe.
Last week, Ryanair renewed this request in a statement:
“It is time that EU authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports,” the airline wrote.
“We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to two alcoholic drinks (using their boarding pass in exactly the same way they limit duty-free sales), as this would result in safer and better passenger behaviour on board aircraft, and a safer travel experience for passengers and crews all over Europe.”
Several other airlines have voiced similar concerns over the years, and Ryanair pointed out that while they can refuse to serve booze to drunk passengers on board, the carriers have no control over how much alcohol is consumed before they reach the boarding gates.
And indeed, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed that “both the number and severity of incidents” have increased in Europe since 2020.
Image: Archive
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