Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, is calling for the introduction of alcohol restrictions at airports across Europe. He proposes limiting passengers to no more than two alcoholic drinks while they wait for their flights.
In an interview with The Independent, O’Leary attributed the increase in inflight incidents to the high levels of alcohol and drug consumption among passengers, combined with widespread flight delays across Europe this summer.
“We are seeing record numbers. We, along with most airlines across Europe, have witnessed a sharp rise, particularly this summer, in the number of disgruntled passengers onboard. I believe the real issue is that flight delays reached unprecedented levels this summer, so people are spending more time in airports, drinking before boarding their flights,” O’Leary remarked. He noted that inflight altercations between passengers have become the biggest challenge for cabin crews. O’Leary singled out flights from Liverpool and Glasgow to Ibiza as being particularly prone to such incidents.
“On all our flights to Ibiza, we don’t allow anyone to board with bottles—we search their bags during boarding… We used to allow them to bring bottles of water, not realizing they were filled with vodka. Now, we don’t even allow them to bring water bottles onboard,” he said.
O’Leary’s comments reflect growing concerns within the airline industry about the impact of alcohol consumption on passenger behavior, particularly in light of the challenges posed by frequent flight delays.
