Fed up with drunk passengers, Turkish Airlines mulls alcohol ban on Russia flights: Report
ISTANBUL
The decision could be taken as many Russian passengers have shown inappropriate behavior after consuming alcoholic drinks on flights. Hürriyet photo
Turkish Airlines is thinking about banning the sale of alcohol on all its Russian flights, according to an Izvestia newspaper report on April 25.The decision could be taken as many Russian passengers have repeatedly shown inappropriate behavior after consuming alcoholic drinks, company officials told Izvestia.
A total of 28 Russian citizens have been taken into custody by the Turkish police for causing trouble during flights, the report said, adding that warnings from flight attendants were often in vain.
The company said the restriction aimed to increase security on airplanes.
Turkish Airlines had already put alcohol bans in place for flights to several Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya and Mauritania. However, a similar ban on domestic flights sparked fierce criticism inside Turkey. Many saw the restriction as a sign of the company’s dislike of alcoholic drinks. However Turkish Airlines, honored with an “Airline of the Year” award last month, defended itself, saying that alcohol had been removed because of fewer business class passengers and a lack of demand on other routes.
The CEO of the company, Hamdi Topçu, also said the decision had been based only on commercial considerations, adding that they would keep their alcoholic drink policy.
