Alcohol is part of the experience when flying, with nearly every airline either selling or including drinks in their service. However, a handful of airlines do not serve alcohol on some or all of their flights for various reasons. Here are some of the airlines that do not serve alcohol onboard.
Religious objections
Most airlines that prohibit the consumption of alcohol on their flights are from countries with strict bans on alcohol. The list primarily consists of airlines in Muslim-majority countries, especially those in the Middle East, which have laws prohibiting drinking liquor.
- Saudia: The flag carrier of Saudi Arabia prohibits drinking or even carrying alcohol when traveling with the airlines. This also applies to other Saudi Arabian carriers.
- EgyptAir: While EgyptAir does not serve alcohol onboard, it doesn’t prevent passengers from drinking their own alcohol, according to The Points Guy.
- Kuwait Airways: Similar to EgyptAir, Kuwait Airways is a dry airline but doesn’t prohibit passengers from consuming their own drinks.
- Iran Air: Complete ban on alcohol along with all other Iranian carriers.
- Air Arabia: Complete ban on alcohol.
- Iraqi Airways: No service onboard but can be carried in checked baggage.
- Pakistan International Airlines: No alcohol service onboard.
- Royal Brunei: No alcohol service.
While many Middle Eastern carriers do not allow you to consume alcohol onboard, there many that do. All of the ME3 (Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar) not only serve alcohol but are known for having a wide selection of liquors and some of the most premium alcohol in the sky. Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, and others also serve alcohol on their flights.
None on domestic routes
While some countries ban alcohol outright, other countries have restrictions on when alcohol can be served. For instance, airlines in India, Turkey, and China (with some exceptions) cannot serve alcohol on any domestic routes. However, flights in these countries tend to be short so there isn’t much lost.
However, other countries, including the US and EU, do allow the sale or service of alcohol on domestic flights as well. For many airlines, liquor sales onboard can be a strong source of revenue on longer flights.
Drinking on dry flights
While many of the airlines listed above have bans on consuming alcohol, some allow you to bring your own. If you decide to BYOB on a flight, it’s extremely important to first confirm with the airline that this is allowed and will not result in penalties or legal actions.
There are some legal hurdles to drinking your own alcohol. For instance, the FAA rules state that “No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage to them.”
However, this rule does allow the crew to serve your own alcohol to you, ensuring they can continue to monitor the alcohol being consumed by passengers. Do remember the crew is also well within its right to deny such a request.
