Newcastle Airport says measures to ban airport drinking aren't needed
Calls to change licensing laws so that passengers can't drink before flights have been rejected by airport bosses
Newcastle Airport says new measures, that could see drinking before flying end, aren't needed.
As it stands, bars and restaurants that are 'air-side' - or after passengers go through security - are exempt from the normal licensing laws, meaning they can be open outside normal hours.
A House of Lords report, published last year, found that disruption on flights "more often than not" involved drinking.
However, Graeme Mason - Planning & Corporate Affairs Director at Newcastle Airport says they have systems in place to address the problem of drunk passengers, and don't feel everyone's chance to enjoy a drink should be ruined by a drunken minority.
Graeme said:
"This is an issue we take very seriously. Newcastle Airport is a signatory to the UK Code of Practice for disruptive passengers and pleasingly, the numbers have been going down here.
"We work closely with our airline partners, the bars, the restaurants, the duty free - to nip any issues in the bud, We have a WhatsApp group so that everyone involved in the airport operation is in contact, and if they see anyone who looks like they may be drinking too much, they will go and be spoken to."
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“Hundreds of millions of passengers travel through the UK’s airports and they should be able to enjoy their holidays without having their flight disrupted by a small minority of people.
“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 issue the removal passengers from the plane if they are drunk and the safety of the aircraft or its passengers is threatened."