Arrests of drunken passengers at Glasgow Airport made up more than a tenth of all those recorded in the UK, according to new figures.
Over a two year period, 47 passengers were detained at the airport.
The figures, revealed in a freedom of information request by the Press Association, showed that 449 airline passengers were detainedon suspicion of being drunk between April 2017 and March 2019.
Police at Edinburgh Airport detained 22 passengers and at Aberdeen Airport three people were held.
Drunken travellers who sexually abused staff, urinated in public and were too intoxicated to fasten their seatbelts were among those held, the police data shows.
At least 245 people were arrested on suspicion of being drunk at an airport in Britain between April 1 2017 and March 31 2019. For the police forces that gave information, a further 204 arrests were made relating to alleged drunkenness on planes.
READ MORE: Pilots due in court accused of being intoxicated before Glasgow flight
Passengers convicted of being drunk on an aircraft face a maximum fine of £5,000 or up to two years’ imprisonment.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, described the arrest figures as “ridiculous” and demanded the introduction of new laws to reduce the number of passengers who drink too much before and during flights.
He said: “There is no credible reason we’ve heard – other than commercial gain – why airport bars and duty free are not licensed in the same way as any pub or restaurant on the high street.
“Likewise, why are duty-free shops still able to sell miniature bottles of alcohol, including at the airport gate? We know miniatures are sold for one reason only – to encourage immediate consumption, including on the plane.”
The ages of those detained ranged from 20 to 58.
READ MORE: 3D scanners at airports could put an end to liquid restrictions
At Bristol Airport, one passenger was arrested on suspicion of being drunk on an aircraft and sexually assaulting female crew while another was found urinating in a walkway en route to a plane.
One woman was arrested on an aircraft at Newcastle Airport after she allegedly became so drunk she was unable to fasten her own seatbelt and swore at cabin crew.
(PA Graphics)
In another episode, a 25-year-old man who had been drinking in a bar at Leeds Bradford Airport while waiting for a delayed Ryanair flight was arrested when he “became abusive” in front of families after being denied boarding, police said.
Requests for information were sent to the 16 forces which cover Britain’s 20 busiest airports.
The most arrests on aircraft or at airports were made at the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow (103).
This was followed by Gatwick (81), Glasgow (47) and Liverpool (40).
The true numbers of drunk passengers arrested will almost certainly be higher as three forces – including Greater Manchester Police – did not provide figures within the time limit.
A request was also sent to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, but this was rejected on the grounds of cost.
The sale of alcohol once a passenger has passed through security at international airports is not regulated by licensing laws. A Home Office consultation on whether legislation should be amended closed in February, but no decision has been announced. The Scottish Government has yet to decide whether to hold a similar review.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel