• Ryanair has urged authorities to restrict the sale of alcohol in airports to two drinks per passenger.
  • The call comes after Ryanair said a recent diversion due to a drunk passenger cost it over $15,000.
  • The airline says some passengers are drinking too much when flights are delayed and causing trouble.

Ryanair, the world’s third-largest airline by passengers, has called on authorities to introduce a limit on the sale of alcoholic beverages at airports.

The Ireland-headquartered airline has called on airports to restrict the sale of alcohol to two drinks per passenger while in the departure lounge as it seeks to limit the number of incidents involving rowdy, intoxicated passengers.

Ryanair said in a statement that when flights are delayed, some people are consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in airport bars while they wait for their flights.

“We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to 2 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,” Ryanair said.

The calls come days after widespread reports of an incident where a disruptive Ryanair passenger incurred a €15,000 ($15,400) diversion cost.

According to a press release by the airline, in early April 2024, a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands was forced to divert to Porto, Portugal, because of an unidentified passenger, who was offloaded and arrested upon landing.

Ryanair said as a result of the disruption and regulations on staff working hours, six crew members and 160 passengers were forced to spend the night at Porto Airport, where the airline funded accommodation and meals. It then provided an additional aircraft and crew to operate the return flight from Lanzarote to Dublin, which was also delayed.

This month, Ryanair announced it was taking a civil proceeding against the individual in the Irish courts to recover the costs. It previously tried to pursue the case in Portugal, but the Portuguese prosecution ruled that as the aircraft and passenger were both Irish, it should be transferred to Ireland.

The airline has claimed overall costs came to €15,350 ($15,746), including €7,000 ($7,180) on passenger and crew overnight accommodation, €2,500 ($2,564) on landing and handling fees at Porto Airport, and €2,500 ($2,564) on Portuguese legal fees to date.

“None of these costs would have been incurred if this disruptive passenger had not forced a diversion to Porto in order to protect the safety of the aircraft, 160 passengers and 6 crew members on board,” a spokesperson from the European budget airlines said.

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