Spain:  Party islands ask EU to ban booze on flights

Source: The Daily Star

By Agence France Presse

July 13, 2017

Authorities in the Balearic Islands, home to the party resorts of Ibiza and Magaluf, Wednesday asked Spain and the European Union to ban alcohol on flights and in airports as they battle “anti-social tourism.” The plea comes after recent, much-publicized reports of drunken brawls or alcohol-fueled —ual frolics on flights to an archipelago that attracts millions of visitors every year – with many flocking to resorts notorious for their — and booze excess.

“We ask the central government and the European Commission to ban the consumption of alcoholic drinks on flights and in airports,” said Pilar Carbonell, in charge of tourism for the local government of the Balearic Islands.

In a statement, she said authorities were asking that these measures be taken “to guarantee security … and tackle anti-social tourism.”

The statement did not say if the local authorities were asking for alcohol to be banned on all EU flights, or simply those going to the Balearic Islands.

“The aim of the measure is to improve passenger security and also that of security forces in planes and airports in our islands, who are often faced with drunk passengers,” it said.

The Balearic Islands have long been a magnet for visitors looking for sun and fun on a cheap budget, but some of its resorts have now become notorious examples of a dark underbelly of tourism, with drink and drug binges that have at times proved deadly.

The “balconing” craze, for instance, in which people jump from a hotel or apartment balcony into a pool, is endemic in the archipelago. Fueled by alcohol or drugs, the jumpers sometimes miss the pool, ending up in hospital or dead.