Britons are facing a ban on morning drinking at airports as the government considers pushing forward with new plans to keep bars shut until 10am.

The measures are being considered in an effort to combat drunken behaviour on flights.

Bars and restaurants at airports could be forced to apply for a licence if they want to continue to sell alcohol.

It could mean pubs, restaurants and duty free shops would have to delay serving alcohol until 10am- ending the early morning tradition of a pre-flight pint.

Licensing laws that prevent the sale of alcohol to drunk customers or outside permitted hours do not apply to outlets once passengers have cleared security.

Ministers are considering a crackdown on binge-drinking at airports after a surge in bad behaviour on flights

Airlines say this 'airside' exemption encourages binge drinking.

Today the Home Office is expected to issue a 'call for evidence' on whether airside bars and restaurants should be licensed.

The Civil Aviation Authority says there were 417 reports of disruptive passengers last year, up from 195 in 2015.

Extending the licensing laws would not necessarily mean an end to early morning or late night drinking at airports.

But it would mean the bar or restaurant would have a 'designated premises supervisor' – a manager who would need a personal licence.

Number Ten today scrambled to try to play down the prospect that passengers will face a morning alcohol ban.

Theresa May's official spokesman said: 'While disruptive or drunk behaviour is unacceptable, we have no intention to ban the consumption of alcohol in airports.

'Most passengers behave responsibly when flying, but the problem of drunk or disruptive passengers has gained prominence in recent years.

'Much of this evidence has been anecdotal, so this is simpy a call for evidence which aims to establish the scale of the problem and seek views from industry and consumers.'

Some airlines have resorted to running 'dry' flights, or suspending the sale of alcohol for part of the journey. Cabin crew are also refusing to hand over duty-free alcohol purchased on board to drunk passengers.

Number of reports of drunk passengers on UK flights soar 400 per cent in four years The number of reports of drunk airplane passengers soared by 400 per cent in just four years, officials revealed. The UK Civil Aviation Authority said it received some 417 complaints in 2017 - up from just 98 in 2013. While 202 complaints had already been sent in as of July this year. The figures have fuelled calls for a crackdown on drunk passengers and the free flow of alcohol in airports. Revealing the figures in August this year, Richard Stephenson, Director of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: 'Everyone wants their holiday flights to be enjoyable and trouble-free. Drunken and abusive behaviour on an aeroplane is totally unacceptable. Not only does it upset everyone else, but it can also jeopardise flight safety. 'Criminal charges should be brought against offenders more often to act as a deterrent - passengers need to know they will face the full weight of the law should they be found guilty of disorderly behaviour.' Advertisement

In a separate move, the Department of Transport is considering plans to force retailers to put duty-free alcohol in sealed plastic bags.

Currently licensing laws that prevent the sale of alcohol outside permitted hours do not apply to 'airside' sales – once passengers have gone through security.

Airlines have for years described this as a 'legal loophole' which enables retailers to sell alcohol irresponsibly at any time of the day or night.

Unlike high street pubs and restaurants, they do not have the threat of being stripped of their licence if they behave irresponsibly – such as selling alcohol to drunk passengers.

Some airside bars have encouraged binge drinking by selling 'two-pint measures' – even though it is a criminal offence to be drunk on a plane.

Last year pub fi Wetherspoon, which has locations at airports across the country, said it 'did not believe extra regulation was needed' at airports and said staff 'understand their responsibility' not to serve drunk passengers.

There are already tough penalties for drunkenness on an aircraft – a maximum of two years in prison or an unlimited fine.

But airline Ryanair has previously called for more restrictions on alcohol sales at airports.

It proposed a two-drink limit for passengers and a total ban on alcohol sales in airports before 10am.

It said in a statement: 'It is incumbent on the airports to introduce these preventative measures to curb excessive drinking and the problems it creates, rather than allowing passengers to drink to excess before their flights.

'It's completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences.'

In a separate move earlier this year the Department of Transport said it is considering plans to force retailers to put duty free alcohol – such as miniature bottles of spirits – in sealed plastic bags.

This proposal follows concerns about passengers stocking up on duty free and binge drinking before they get on a flight.

Last year a House of Lords Committee recommended airport bars and restaurants have similar trading hours rules under the Licencing Act 2003 after a spike in 'air rage'.

The changes mooted by the Home Office would see pubs, restaurants and duty free shops delay serving alchohol until 10am- ending the early morning pre-flight tradition of a pint

The Lords committee report said: 'No one travelling on an international flight can fail to notice that, once they have gone through customs, control of the sale of alcohol seems to be relaxed, and the permitted hours even more so.

'This is because the Licensing Act 2003 is expressly disapplied from such areas.

'The incidents occurring on flights are notorious, sometimes requiring flights to be diverted, and more often than not such incidents are the consequence of alcohol consumed airside before the flight.

The report added: 'Many also had the opportunity to drink heavily at the airport before they get on the flight.

'The Civil Aviation Authority report a 36 per cent increase in disruptive passenger incidents in the UK between 2014 and 2015. This is a large number of incidents for a relatively small airline.

'Alcohol Concern told us of a survey of holidaymakers which found that nearly 1 in 5 passengers said they began their holiday drinking at the airport.'