“The Government is today calling for evidence regarding the laws around alcohol availability at airports. Airside sales of alcohol have been exempt from licensing legislation since 1956, however recent years have seen rising concerns over what is perceived to be the increasingly outrageous behaviour of a small number of drunken travellers. The Civil Aviation Authority has in the past reported a huge increase in the number of disruptive incidents relating to alcohol and the recent House of Lords Select Committee Report on the Licensing Act also advised the Government to reconsider the issue. The Government has decided to undertake a consultation to obtain views on the scale of the problem, the effectiveness of the current system and the impact of any changes.

The call for evidence can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/airside-alcohol-licensing-at-international-airports-in-england-and-wales-call-for-evidence  and responses must be received by 11.45pm on 1 February 2019.

The Government will publish its response 12 weeks later.