A State Duma deputy from the Communist Party submitted draft legislation proposing the prohibition of alcohol consumption on flights, a move which many officials have called for in light of several instances of drunken debauchery by Russian passengers.
Vadim Solovyev said that recent examples of drunken misbehavior on board airplanes — including United Russia Deputy Vadim Bulavinov's reported removal from a flight on Monday for "improper behavior" — created a sufficient basis for consideration of harsher alcohol restrictions, Izvestia reported Tuesday.
Solovyev's bill would completely prohibit passengers from drinking on board, he said, adding that in the future drunk passengers could be prevented from boarding flights altogether.
"There should be no exceptions, not for lawmakers, not for ordinary citizens, not for economy passengers, and not for those in business class," Solovyev said in comments carried by Izvestia.
Last December, a former deputy governor of the Chelyabinsk region was hit with hooliganism charges after his violent antics forced a Moscow-bound plane to make an emergency landing in Novosibirsk.
Earlier this year, a Russian businessman was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison for drunkenly attempting to hijack a plane.
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