Alcohol should not be sold on flights, former airline chief says

Eva Osborne

A former airline chief has said he believes alcohol should not be sold on flights.

It comes as Ryanair announced a "major misconduct crackdown".

The airline believes taking legal action against passengers will change behaviour.

Former owner of Aer Arann and Aer Lingus Regional, Padraig O’Ceidigh, said airlines should be taking more responsibility:

"I don't think that alcohol should be sold on board an airplane, quite frankly," he said.

"Particularly on reasonably short-haul flights, but I don't think it should be sold on airplanes in any event. Cigarettes aren't sold on airplanes."

Last year, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary called for alcohol limits in airports to tackle a rise in disorder on flights.

Mr O’Leary said passengers should be restricted to two drinks per journey to curb what he says is an increase in antisocial behaviour and violence.

He told The Daily Telegraph violent outbursts are occurring weekly with alcohol, especially when mixed with other substances.