LONDON
Low-cost airline Ryanair has called for a ban on early-morning alcohol sales at airports, saying the airline is now forced to divert nearly one flight a day on average because of disruptive passenger behavior.
In an interview with British daily The Times, chief executive Michael O’Leary said airports should stop serving alcohol before early flights in an effort to reduce incidents involving unruly passengers onboard aircraft.
He said Ryanair was diverting nearly one flight a day on average because of passenger misconduct, compared to around one flight a week a decade ago.
“It’s becoming a real challenge for all airlines. I fail to understand why anybody in airport bars is serving people at five or six o’clock in the morning. Who needs to be drinking beer at that time?” he said.
Airport bars in the UK are not required to comply with the same licensing-hour restrictions applied to other establishments selling alcohol.
O’Leary said: “There should be no alcohol served at airports outside [those] licensing hours.”
Being intoxicated on an aircraft is a criminal offense in the UK and can carry penalties of up to £5,000 (around $6,800) in fines and two years in prison.
The incidents have been increasing, with Ryanair announcing in January 2025 that it had begun legal action against disruptive passengers to recover losses incurred when flights were forced to divert.
