In an interview with the British newspaper "The Times", the director of the low-cost airline "Ryanair" said on Wednesday, "I do not understand at all why (alcoholic drinks) are served to people in airport bars at five or six in the morning," wondering, "Who needs to drink beer at such an hour?" He called for a ban on serving alcohol early in the morning at airports, pointing out that almost every day one of the company's planes is forced to make an emergency landing due to the behavior of some passengers who have consumed alcohol.

Published on: 05/06/2026 - 17:57

Because of the behavior of some passengers, the head of the low-cost airline Ryanair called on Wednesday to ban the serving of alcohol early in the morning at airports, and confirmed that almost every day one of the company's planes is forced to make an emergency landing as a result of consuming alcohol.

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In an interview with the British newspaper "The Times", the company's director, Michael O'Leary, said, "I do not understand at all why (alcoholic drinks) are served to people in airport bars at five or six in the morning. Who needs to drink beer at such an hour?"

He believed that "alcohol should not be sold at airports" at these times, criticizing the institutions "that are fully prepared in the event of a delay (in flight times) to provide whatever quantities of alcohol they (passengers) desire."

Last June, the Irish company announced the imposition of a fine of 500 euros on “problematic passengers whose behavior leads to them being removed from the plane.”

O'Leary added, "Ten years ago, we were diverting perhaps one flight per week (for an emergency landing), but today we are diverting approximately one case per day."

France 24/AFP

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