Government to crackdown on alcohol sales at airports

A spate of incidents involving drunken plane passengers have prompted a government review on pre-flight pints.

New aviation minister Lord Ahmad has announced plans to review the way alcohol is sold at airports following hundreds of booze-fuelled air rage incidents in the past two years.

Figures obtained following freedom of information requests showed at least 442 people were held between March 2014 and March 2016.

Lord Ahmad, who was appointed aviation minister by Theresa May when she became prime minister earlier this month, highlighted the importance of screening travellers before they board planes.

His predecessor, Robert Goodwill, revealed last year that several airlines had written to the Government to warn about the number of alcohol-related incidents.

In February six men on a stag party were arrested by German police after a mid-air brawl caused a Ryanair flight from Luton to Bratislava, Slovakia, to divert to Berlin.

Another recent case involved a female passenger punching an easyJet pilot in the face after being ordered to leave an aircraft before it took off from Manchester in May.

Glasgow and Manchester airports have trialled a scheme with shops selling alcohol in sealed bags in a bid to reduce problems on flights.

Lord Ahmad highlighted the value of screening travellers before they board planes.

"I think that it's important for the safety and security of all passengers that we ensure that regime is actually fit for purpose," he said.

He added: "I want to certainly look at what more can be done in terms of making aviation a very attractive sector for all, so whether you're a businessman making travelling arrangements or you're a family planning a holiday, you can do so ... knowing that once you board the plane it's going to be an environment in which you're going to be safe and secure."