Ryanair has reiterated its call for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars.
The airline said such a policy would result in ‘a safer travel experience for passengers and crews’.
The carrier announced last week it has 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 euros (£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.
It said the 15,000 euros consists of costs such as overnight accommodation for the more than 160 passengers and six crew members (7,000 euros or £5,900), Porto Airport landing and handling fees (2,500 euros or £2,100) and Portuguese legal fees (2,500 euros or £2,100).
A Ryanair spokesperson said European governments ‘repeatedly fail to take action when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert’.
He went on: ‘It is time that European Union authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports.
The airline, led by Michael O’Leary (pictured) said a two-drink limit would result in ‘a safer travel experience for passengers and crews’
Ryanair has reiterated its call for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars
‘Passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption’, Ryanair claimed (File image of a Wetherspoons pub at Stansted Airport)
‘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.
‘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.’
Ryanair’s call for a two-drink limit was first made by its chief executive Michael O’Leary in August last year, as he reported an increase in disorder on flights.
O’Leary admitted that the budget airline saw a ‘spike’ of violent disorder among its passengers over the summer, adding that flights to party hotspot Ibiza were often the rowdiest.
He told Sky News that would be ‘happy to [introduce the limit] tomorrow.’
‘If the price of putting a drink limit on the airport, where the problem is being created, is putting a drink limit on board the aircraft, we’ve no problem with that.
‘The real issue is how do we stop these people getting drunk at airports particularly as, like this summer, we’ve had a huge spike in air traffic control delays.
Pictured: Pubgoers at the Wetherspoon’s pub in Stanstead Airport last year
Wetherspoon boss Sir Tim Martin slammed the idea of a two-drink limit in airports (stock photo)
‘They’re getting on board with too much alcohol in their system. If we identify them as being drunk on board, we don’t serve them alcohol. But that doesn’t solve the problem.’
But the boss of Wetherspoons, Tim Martin, hit back at O’Leary, claiming travellers are getting drunk on the flights – as opposed to while they’re waiting to board.
He also said his airport pubs had stopped offering ‘shooters’ and ‘double up’ deals, which he claims are still offered on flights.
The Wetherspoon boss told MailOnline: ‘We have had no complaints about our pubs from the airport authorities or airlines, that I’m aware of, in recent years.
‘Some years ago Wetherspoon stopped selling “shooters” at airports, as well as “double-up” offers, which some airlines, including Ryanair, do still offer.
‘Our own understanding was that most problems then arose from incoming flights, possibly indicating less controls abroad.’
