Airport bars often allow drinks to be served at any time of the day to allow passengers flying at awkward times the chance of an early morning pint.
This could soon end with new legislation looking to prevent the legal loophole that allows them to stay open past drinking hours, according to The Times.
This could mean an extension of the Licensing Act 2003 by the Home Office to include airport bars and pubs.
A rise in drunken passenger incidents has caused problems for airlines and other fliers with delayed flights.
A spokesman from Airlines UK told Metro: “Airlines believe that the exemption for airports from the Licensing Act should be removed so while passengers can still enjoy a drink to start their holiday, airport outlets would be subject to the same licensing requirements as bars, pubs and other outlets selling alcohol in towns and cities, as well as landside at airports.”
A BBC investigation found that intoxicated passengers being arrested had increased by 50 per cent.
Many videos in the recent year have shown passengers being ejected from flights after preventing the plane from departing and threatening other passengers, with one Ryanair passenger being restrained in a chokehold.
Passengers who are arrested for drunken behaviour face fines or a two-year prison sentence, according to the Home Office.
Ryanair has spoken out in support of restrictions on alcohol at airports, suggesting a two-drink limit.
The low-cost airline, who don’t sell alcohol on their own flights due to mainly being short-haul, have also banned passengers from drinking their own alcohol on the plane bought in duty-free.
Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said: “This is an issue which the airports must now address.
“We are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, particularly with early morning flights and when flights are delayed.”
It isn’t just flight delays and disruptions that are causing concerns, as many flight attendants have also reported a rise in assault cases from drunk passengers.
One in five cabin crew members from Unite union admitted that had suffered physical abuse from passengers.
Ex-Virgin flight attendant Ally Murphy told Panorama that they would “touch your breasts or they’d touch your bum or legs”. She quit last year after 14 years in the industry.
A survey revealed that Britons drink as much as 15 units of alcohol on a single flight, double the suggested weekly allowance.
