'Two drinks per person': Inside Europe's largest airline's fight to limit destruction by drunk passengers on flights

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, has called for the European Union to introduce a limit on alcohol sales at airports in an effort to reduce disruptive behavior among passengers during flights.

The airline is advocating for a restriction of two alcoholic drinks per passenger, to be enforced through boarding passes in a manner similar to current duty-free regulations, CNN reported on Tuesday.

In a statement released Monday, a Ryanair spokesperson highlighted the growing concern over excessive alcohol consumption at airports, especially during flight delays.


"During flight delays, passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption," the spokesperson said.

"We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to 2 alcoholic drinks… as this would result in safer and better passenger behaviour on board aircraft."

Why Ryanair is in talks with EU

Ryanair’s call for action follows a series of incidents involving disruptive passengers. In April of last year, the airline was forced to file legal proceedings against a passenger who caused a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote to be diverted to Porto.

This disruption led to an overnight delay, affecting 160 passengers. Ryanair is seeking €15,000 ($15,400) in damages, citing the "inexcusable behaviour" that forced the diversion.

Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, has long advocated for stricter alcohol controls at airports. In August, he reiterated his position in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, attributing an increase in passenger violence to excessive drinking. O'Leary has emphasised that while airlines already restrict alcohol sales on flights, the lack of any similar restrictions at airports is a major contributing factor to the issue.

Passenger misconduct on flights: The data

Recent data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) supports concerns about rising passenger misconduct.

In 2023, IATA reported one incident of unruly behavior for every 480 flights, compared to one for every 568 flights in 2022, although it did not specify how many of these incidents involved alcohol consumption.

Ryanair also noted that, like many airlines, it already imposes restrictions on alcohol sales aboard its planes, particularly in cases where disruptive behavior occurs.

The airline pointed out that drunk passengers who endanger the safety of others or themselves can face severe legal consequences.

In Ireland, for instance, being intoxicated to the point of endangering others on a plane is a criminal offence, punishable by fines up to £500 ($600) or, in extreme cases, up to four months in prison or a fine of £700 ($850).