EARLY morning drink sales for holidaymakers at airports should be curbed, peers have said.

Bars and pubs in departure lounges, including those at Gatwick, should no longer be exempt from the Licensing Act, which controls when alcohol is sold, according to a House of Lords committee. It has called on the Government to make the change by the end of the year.

The select committee on the Licensing Act 2003 said: “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 before the flight.”

At least 442 people were arrested on suspicion of being drunk on a plane or at an airport from March 2014 to March last year. The Civil Aviation Authority reported a 36 per cent rise in disruptive passengers in the UK during the same period. Research by Alcohol Concern found nearly one in five passengers start their holidays with a drink at the airport.

Sussex Police, which polices Gatwick, said no sanctions are possible against outlets selling alcohol to people under 18 because the Licensing Act does not apply. The committee concluded there is “no justification” for this to be the case.