A DRUNKEN holidaymaker who punched a bartender at Glasgow Airport is among hundreds of airline passengers arrested in the past two years for bad behaviour.
Over 260 people were held in 2017 and 2018 on suspicion of being drunk aboard a plane or at an airport, new statistics reveal.
Alleged incidents at airports include a man brandishing a knife at customer services staff at Aberdeen Airport after he was refused travel, and a man punching an airside bar manager at Glasgow Airport because he would not serve him any more alcoholic drinks.
Read more: Air passengers to face criminal charges for consuming own alcohol on planes
Other cases include a drunk passenger accused of fighting with someone while on board a plane, and a man allegedly shouting and swearing at a pilot.
The figures come as the Government considers scrapping round-the-clock drinking in airport bars by extending high street licensing laws, which would mean no alcohol before 10am.
Under current rules, drink sales beyond security gates at international airports in England and Wales are not regulated by these laws.
The Home Office launched the review on November 1, with a three-month call for evidence.
The sale and supply of alcohol at international airports in Northern Ireland and Scotland are outside the scope of the call for evidence as they are separately regulated under the Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
A spokesman for Airlines UK, the trade association for UK airlines, said: “The problem of disruptive behaviour has got progressively worse over a number of years, despite the best efforts of industry to tackle it.
“There is no evidence to suggest these incidents won’t persist without the active involvement of Government.”
Figures obtained following freedom of information requests by the Press Association show 48 people were arrested on suspicion of being drunk on an aircraft in 2017, and 42 in 2018 to date.
Passengers convicted of being drunk on an aircraft can face a fine or up to two years’ imprisonment.
For the police forces that gave information, a further 104 arrests were made relating to alleged drunkenness at airports in 2017, with 68 this year to date.
Read more: Steep climb in airline passengers arrested for drunken offences
The ages of those detained around the UK ranged from 17 to 61.
A UK Government spokesman said: “Most UK air passengers behave responsibly, but any disruptive or drunk behaviour is entirely unacceptable.
"There are already tough penalties 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 remove passengers from the plane if they are drunk and the safety of the aircraft or its passengers is threatened.
“We strongly support the use of these powers by the police, airlines and airports to tackle drunk and disorderly behaviour at our airports and on board the aircraft.”
In a statement, the Airport Operators Association (AOA) said: “The figures demonstrate that there continues to be an issue with passengers consuming alcohol to excess while travelling to the UK from abroad.”
It added it will “continue to tackle the small minority who ruin it for the majority” by working to ensure more arrests result in prosecution.
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