The sale of alcohol on aircraft may have to be restricted to combat a surge in air-rage incidents, according to the aviation watchdog.
Andrew Haines, chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said that the abuse of alcohol by a minority of disruptive passengers could lead to tighter limits for all air travellers.
His comments came days after a Ryanair flight to Bratislava, Slovakia, had to be diverted to Berlin when a fight broke out among members of a stag party from Southampton.
Six men were arrested and Joshua Mariner, the groom-to-be, condemned the behaviour of his friends as unacceptable. “They will now have to suffer the consequences,” Mr Mariner, 26, said in a statement to the Southern Daily Echo
The Times has learnt that airlines and airports are working on voluntary guidelines to clamp down on excessive drinking before and during flights.
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It could lead to duty-free alcohol being served in sealed bags, airline crew at flight gates receiving enhanced training to prevent drunks boarding and airport bar staff identifying drunks beforehand.
CAA figures show that 156 air-rage incidents were logged by British airlines in the first eight months of last year. This compared with 114 cases in the whole of 2014 and 39 in 2011.
Mr Haines said: “If the current trend continues, I think it is highly likely that there will need to be some form of restriction.”