Russia mulls ban on duty-free alcohol on planes

Moscow: Russian lawmakers are looking to ban passengers from carrying duty-free alcohol on board airplanes, amid a rise in disruption caused by Russian drunk travellers, Russian media said. The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Transport Committee, Vitaly Yefimov, said members of the Russian State Duma plan to introduce a bill banning passengers from carrying alcohol on board in an effort to prevent violent behavior caused by drinking, gazeta.ru reported Sunday. Earlier Sunday, a Russian aircraft bound for Thailand made a forced landing in Uzbekistan when a 29-year-old drunken man attacked passengers. The attacker was held by the Uzbek police shortly after the landing.

In a separate case, a 54-year-old businessman Sergei Kabalov hit a steward after being caught in a toilet with a cigarette on a plane en route from Moscow to Egypt`s Hurghada in early January. Kabalov, who is currently on vacation in Egypt, will be questioned by police after he is back to Russia. "These two cases give us the right to raise the question of introducing a ban on carrying alcohol on board," Yefimov said. IANS