NEW YORK — Ryanair is urging European regulators to impose restrictions on the sale of alcoholic beverages in airports throughout the continent. This call comes as the Irish airline pursues legal action against a passenger whose actions allegedly caused a significant flight diversion last year.
The low-cost airline is seeking damages exceeding 15,000 euros ($15,324) related to an incident that occurred in April 2024. Ryanair contends that the passenger engaged in “inexcusable behaviour” on a flight heading from Dublin to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, which led to a necessary diversion to Porto, Portugal, for safety reasons. This diversion resulted in delays for both the crew and more than 160 passengers, who were forced to stay overnight.
Following the announcement of its lawsuit, Ryanair provided additional details regarding the financial impact of the diversion, including costs for extra fuel, accommodation, legal expenses, and more. Alongside this, the airline proposed a restriction on alcoholic beverage sales within airports across the European Union.
“It is time that EU authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports,” Ryanair expressed in a statement. The airline questioned why airport passengers are not restricted to two alcoholic drinks, similar to limitations placed on duty-free sales using boarding passes. They argue that such measures would promote safer passenger behaviour on flights, thereby enhancing the overall travel experience for both passengers and crew throughout Europe.
Ryanair pointed out that while airlines already impose limitations on alcohol sales during flights, there remains a gap in regulations as passengers are free to consume excess alcohol in airports, particularly during delays.
Concerns about in-flight disturbances have long been raised by aviation authorities, especially regarding incidents that lead to violence, harassment, or health risks such as smoking. Although incidents of unruly behaviour in the air are still relatively uncommon, reports have seen a noticeable uptick recently. When contacted for insights, a representative from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency noted that there has been a rise in both the frequency and severity of such incidents in Europe since 2020.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that in 2023, there was one disruptive encounter for every 480 flights, according to data collected from over 24,500 reports involving 50 operators globally. This figure represents an increase from one disruptive incident per 568 flights the previous year.
Details regarding how many of these disruptive cases involved alcohol are not readily available. Nevertheless, various efforts to mitigate unruly conduct during flights have been spotlighted, with organizations like IATA emphasizing the necessity of responsible alcohol service, ensuring intoxicated passengers are denied boarding, and engaging in initiatives such as “One Too Many” in the U.K.
On a parallel note, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States reported 2,102 incidents related to unruly passengers last year, resulting in fines amounting to $7.5 million. While this represents a 1% increase from 2023, it remains significantly lower than the peak of 5,973 incidents reported in 2021.
