Laurence Dollimore
BRITS love a pre-flight pint or gin and tonic before jetting off on their jollies.
But this tradition could soon be a thing of the past thanks to the British Home Office, which is looking to ban the practice.
Under current laws, regular alcohol restrictions don’t apply at airports, allowing alcohol to be served outside of licensing hours.
But in early 2017, a review by the House of Lords looked at ending 24-hour drinking in UK airports, and the Home Office is planning on issuing a ‘call for evidence’ to ‘assess the impact of implementing the Licensing Act on airside premises on reducing alcohol related disorder’.
If supported by the evidence, it could lead to the extension of the Licensing Act 2003 to cover alcohol being sold to passengers before they board flights.
This would give councils the power to license and inspect bars, pubs and restaurants inside airports.
And they could also limit the hours alcohol is served.
It comes after repeated reports of boozy Brits causing trouble on flights to several holiday hotspots, including Spain’s Ibiza and Magaluf.
Millions of Brits are consuming a week’s worth of alcohol before they’ve even landed at their destination, which can lead to disruptive behaviour.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that last year alone there was a 50% rise in the amount of passengers who had to be forcibly contained for bad behaviour.
Jet2.com have already called for a ban on early morning drinking, revealing that the ‘number of incidents where the passenger fails to respect the rules of conduct at an airport or on board an aircraft have risen significantly’.
