Ryanair has reiterated its call for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars.
The airline said such a policy would result in “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews”.
The carrier announced last week it has started taking legal action to recover losses against disruptive passengers, as part of a “major misconduct clampdown”.
The Irish airline is claiming €15,000 (£12,500) in damages against a disruptive passenger after their “inexcusable behaviour” forced a flight to divert.
Flight FR7124 from Dublin to Lanzarote instead landed in Porto, Portugal on 9 April as a result of the passenger’s unruly conduct in the cabin.
According to Ryanair, 160 passengers were delayed overnight and missed a “full day of their holiday”.
Ryanair contends the passenger’s behaviour caused the diversion.
It said the 15,000 euros consists of costs such as overnight accommodation for the more than 160 passengers and six crew members (7,000 euros or £5,900), Porto Airport landing and handling fees (2,500 euros or £2,100) and Portuguese legal fees (2,500 euros or £2,100).
It’s not the first time unruly passenger behaviour has caused chaos on a Ryanair flight.
In November, a Ryanair flight was forced to alert authorities ahead of landing in Tenerife after several passengers became disruptive on board, including one person reportedly “urinating” in the aisle.
A Ryanair spokesperson said European governments “repeatedly fail to take action when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert”.
He went on: “It is time that European Union authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports.
“Airlines like Ryanair already restrict and limit the sale of alcohol on board our aircraft, particularly in disruptive passenger cases.
“However, during flight delays, passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption.
“We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to two 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’s call for a two-drink limit was first made by its chief executive Michael O’Leary in August last year, as he reported an increase in disorder on flights.
