Ryanair is calling for a crackdown on alcoholic drinks (Image: Getty)
Ryanair passengers are being warned about strict alcohol rules onboard flights as the airline calls for a crackdown on drinking.
has reiterated its call for a per passenger to be introduced at airport bars in a bid to provide “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews”.
It comes after Ryanair last week announced it has started taking legal action to recover losses against , as part of a “major misconduct clampdown”.
Passengers are warned that current rules on Ryanair allow duty-free alcohol with a maximum of 70% ABV to be brought into the cabin, but it cannot be consumed during the flight.
Any alcohol duty-free items must remain unopened and stored in the cabin until passengers arrive at their destination to help prevent disruptive behaviour during flights.
Passengers should also be aware that Ryanair staff search bags before allowing people to board flights to certain destinations, including some of the Greek islands and Ibiza, one of the “party destinations” worst affected by antisocial behaviour.
The airline states: “Customers will not be allowed to carry alcohol on board and all cabin baggage will be searched at the boarding gates.
“Any alcohol purchased in airport shops or elsewhere must be packed carefully in a suitable item of cabin baggage, which will be tagged at the gate and then placed in the aircraft hold free of charge if you have purchased priority boarding or have a small piece of hand luggage.
“If the bag is unsuitable for placing in the hold (e.g. plastic bag) then customers will be required to dispose of the alcohol in the bins provided.”
Ryanair has previously identified four UK airports – Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh – as particularly problematic for drinking pre-flight with chief executive Michael O’Leary saying it’s time that limits at airport bars are introduced.
Speaking to the Telegraph last year, he said: “We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink. But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet. As long as they can stand up and shuffle they will get through. Then when the plane takes off we see the misbehaviour.”
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A Ryanair spokesperson said: “It is time that authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports.
“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.”