Ryanair Wants Morning Drinking Banned in Airports

After an incident on a flight from Dublin (DUB) to Ibiza (IBZ) on Saturday morning, Ryanair is calling for airports to make some serious alcohol restrictions, including banning drinking before 10:00am.

The Ryanair flight departed DUB at 8:50am and diverted to Paris Beauvais–Tillé Airport (BVA) after a group of 20 unruly passengers caused a disturbance on board. Three of the passengers involved were so disruptive they had to be "removed and detained by police upon arrival, before the aircraft continued to Ibiza,” Ryanair Spokesman Robin Kiely told the Irish Mirror.

The diversion delayed the flight's arrival into Ibiza by two hours and 40 minutes.

Ryanair said the diversion and police intervention was for the safety of other passengers, which included children. "We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behavior at any time, and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority,” Kiely said.

Additionally, the low-cost carrier is pushing for protocol that would prevent passengers from becoming inebriated in airports before their flights, especially between destinations known for drinking. According to Kiely, Ryanair will lobby for "significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, such as a two-drink limit per passenger and no alcohol sales before 10:00am.”

An undeniably similar incident occurred on a Jet2 flight earlier in June from Belfast (BFS) to Ibiza, warranting similar requests from Jet2. An "aggressive and unruly" drunk passenger led the plane to be diverted to Toulouse, France (TLS), where he was taken off the plane by police. Now, Jet2 "will continue to call for action to better control the sale and consumption of tax free goods purchased at airports," i.e., alcohol, according to its spokesperson.