Is there a limit on alcoholic drinks in airports?

Ryanair has renewed its call for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars in a bid to reduce unruly behaviour on board its planes.

The budget airline said such a policy would result in “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews” and said European governments “repeatedly fail to take action when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert”.

A spokesman for Ryanair said: “Airlines like Ryanair already restrict and limit the sale of alcohol on board our aircraft, particularly in disruptive passenger cases.

“However, during flight delays, passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption.”

The spokesman said Ryanair “fails to understand” why passengers are not limited to two alcoholic drinks at airports, which could be logged by using their boarding passes in the exact same way duty free sales are limited.

Here, Yahoo News takes a look at the current rules on alcohol in airports and on board planes.

There are no set limit on how much alcohol you can drink at airports. Moreover, bars and pubs in UK airports, beyond the security gates, are not subject to licensing hours, meaning they can serve customers at any time of the day.

However, airlines have the right to refuse passengers from boarding if they are deemed too intoxicated, and many airports have voluntary codes of practice, including not selling shots or doubles, and training staff to recognise signs of intoxication, according to travelsupermarket.com.

Drinkers waiting for their flights at Manchester Airport. (Alamy)

There is no universal limit on how many drinks you can order on a plane, but some airlines have their own rules on alcohol.

Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2 and Tui for example, let passengers bring duty free alcohol on their planes, but ban them from drinking it on board.

In September 2024, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said he would be “happy” to introduce a two-drink limit on his airline’s flights “tomorrow” if the same rule was applied to airport bars, as he faced pushback from Wetherspoons founder Tim Martin.

While most airlines don’t have a set limit on how much they can serve alcohol to customers, cabin crew are trained to look out for signs of intoxication and can refuse service if they think a passenger has had one too many.

Ryanair announced last week that it had started taking legal action to recover losses against disruptive passengers, as part of a “major misconduct clampdown”.

It said it filed civil legal proceedings against a passenger in Ireland to seek €15,000 (£12,600) in damages related to a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote, which diverted to Porto in April last year.

Ryanair contends the passenger’s behaviour caused the diversion, forcing the airline to pay €7,000 on overnight accommodation for more than 160 passengers and six crew members.

Michael O’Leary made similar calls last summer. (Alamy)

In addition, the airline said it had to spend €2,500 on landing and handling fees at Porto Airport and €2,500 on Portuguese legal fees.

O’Leary made similar calls in August over what he described as an increase in antisocial behaviour and violence on flights.

“In the same way that you have to show your boarding pass when you go through duty free to buy cigarettes or alcohol, we believe you should have to show your boarding pass to buy an alcoholic drink at a bar at an airport,” he told the Independent.

“And you shouldn’t be served more than two alcoholic drinks – particularly when flights are delayed.”

In the UK it is a criminal offence to enter any aircraft when drunk, or be drunk in any aircraft, under the Air Navigation Order 2016.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, and airline staff will exercise their discretion when letting people on board their flights, but people could face a hefty fine or even a jail sentence for their drunken behaviour.

Acts of drunkenness on an aircraft face a maximum fine of £5,000 and two years in prison, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The prison sentence for endangering the safety of an aircraft is up to five years. Disruptive passengers may also be asked to reimburse the airline with the cost of the diversion.

Diversion costs typically range from £10,000-80,000 depending on the size of the aircraft and where it diverts to, the CAA adds.

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