It is about time the issue of abuse of alcohol on aircraft was addressed.

It's a serious issue impacting flight safety as the growing number of reported incidents is showing.

Fights between passengers, attacks on and molestation of cabin crew, attempts to open aircraft doors in flight are all real examples of a growing number of occurrences which if not addressed will result in a major incident.

Read more: Drinking illicit alcohol on a plane to be criminal offence

The biggest causes are not in flight by on board sales or distribution of alcohol as part of the in flight service with meals or as an aperitif which are controllable by the airline thus crew, but largely groups of people over indulging at airports and increasingly people consuming alcohol brought at the airport and then drinking that illegally on board.

Crews need more help, as four cabin crew policing the drinking habits of some 180 occasionally rowdy passengers along with their other duties, is challenging.

The penalties for breaking the existing explicit legislation included in the Air Navigation Order need to be increased and enforcement ensured.

Read more: Drinking illicit alcohol on a plane to be criminal offence

That must include increased fines and include repayment of the thousands off pounds incurred by airlines forced to divert or change schedules as a result of drunken and inconsiderate behaviour by a small number of passengers.

It should also include set years of bans on flying to such persons and lifetime ones in exceptional cases.

Airlines and the Home Office have the technology to enforce this.

More should be made of naming and shaming perpetrators in view of the seriousness of the incidents.

Read more: Drinking illicit alcohol on a plane to be criminal offence

The in-flight safety announcements should be adapted to include reference to the personal consequences of disobeying crew instructions on drinking and the resulting penalties that "will" be imposed if passengers do not comply.

In the case of incidents on other forms of transport, the vehicle can stop at the roadside or next station and drunken passengers can be ejected and police called.

That is not possible in an airliner at 35,000 feet.

Laurie Price is a former senior airline manager, aviation economist and parliamentary aviation adviser.