The Airport Operators Association (AOA) says it will look forward to submitting to a ‘Call for Evidence’ in response to the UK government’s decision to launch a consultation into the regulation of airside alcohol sales.

The Home Office has yet to officially announce when the consultation will begin and declined to comment further when contacted by TRBusiness.

A call for evidence is designed to determine the scale of the problem of drunk and disruptive passengers at airports in England and Wales in response to a *House of Lords Select Committee recommendation that exemptions for airports under the Licensing Act 2003 should be revoked.

LICENSING ACT EXEMPTION

It is understood that the consultation will examine the efficacy of current statutory and voluntary arrangements in addressing the problem, assess practicalities and resources required to implement the act airside and look at the barriers in implementing and impact caused by extending the licensing laws.

The sale of alcohol to airside passengers at international airports in the UK [with one exception] is currently exempt from the Licensing Act 2003, however, reports of disruptive behaviour on flights has garnered more attention in recent weeks, with airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair taking harder stances on the issue.

A spokesperson from the AOA told TRBusiness: “As an industry, we take the issue of disruptive passengers very seriously. Thankfully incidents of disruptive behaviour are a very rare occurrence, with CAA data showing that the number of incidents is stable despite record passenger growth. However, where they do happen the impact can have serious consequences.

Since 2015, a clutch of airlines have been working with other stakeholders including the airports, the police, retailers and bar/pub operators to prevent and minimise unruly behaviour through a UK Aviation Industry Code of Practice on Disruptive Passengers.

“We worked with airport police, bars, restaurants and retailers as well as with airlines to develop the UK Aviation Industry Code of Practice on Disruptive Passengers and we continue to work closely together as we implement the Code,” said the AOA spokesperson.

“The Code sets out how we can work to further reduce incidents of disruptive behaviour, and minimise the impact where they do occur despite our best combined efforts to prevent them. Government supports the Code and we believe this is the best way to tackle this issue.

“Disruptive behaviour, including due to excessive alcohol consumption, is not acceptable. Passengers should be aware that consequences of such behaviour could include losing a holiday because they are denied boarding as well as fines, flight bans and prison sentences for the most serious offences.”

Ryanair has prohibited passengers from bringing duty free alcohol purchases onboard flights from the UK to Ibiza. Source: Ryanair.

BROADER EXAMINATION

The UK Government is working with airports and airlines to explore further ways of tackling the problem as part of a new aviation strategy.

It is understood that airports have been working closely with the government to provide further information on different licensing regimes across the UK, the differences of which are negligible in terms of the number of disruptive incidents.

“Everyone should be able to enjoy a safe journey through UK airports without disruption,” the UK Home Office has stated.

“Most UK air passengers behave responsibly when flying, but any disruptive or drunk behaviour is entirely unacceptable.

Aviation stakeholders have been working closely together to develop the UK Aviation Industry Code of Practice on Disruptive Passengers.

“There are already tough penalties in place for drunkenness on an aircraft — you can be imprisoned for up to two years or given an unlimited fine. Pilots also have the power to remove passengers from the plane if they are drunk and the safety of the aircraft or its passengers is threatened.

“The Home Office will issue a Call for Evidence to assess the impact an extension of the Licensing Act to airside premises at airports in England and Wales could have on reducing alcohol related disruptive passenger behaviour.”

Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents the interests of airlines and their passengers in the region, declined to comment on the issue when approached by TRBusiness.

A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which works closely with the industry on the issue of disruptive passengers added: “There is a range of work by the aviation industry to reduce disruptive passenger incidents and we will continue to engage with the industry as it explores further options for how best to tackle this issue.

“Incidents where passengers are rude or aggressive to cabin crew or fellow travellers are thankfully not common. But when they do occur, they can be highly disruptive and also pose a flight safety risk. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.

“The crew on board aircraft are there for everyone’s safety and passengers must follow the captain’s instructions at all times. It is a criminal offence to be drunk on board an aircraft and there is no excuse for rude or aggressive conduct. Passengers are responsible for their own actions and could face criminal charges and severe penalties for incidents involving aggressive behaviour.”