Edinburgh Airport arrests double in two years amid calls for alcohol licensing rethink
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Edinburgh Airport has seen an increase in arrests, doubling in the past two years
Figures released by Police Scotland last week show that there were 84 arrests made at Edinburgh Airport during 2025, an increase from 42 in 2023. The number of offences more than doubled during that period with 70 in 2023 and 164 in 2025.
The most common offence in 2025 was categorised as “crimes against society”. Offences in this category include possession of an offensive weapon and possession of drugs, amongst a whole litany of others.
There were also large increases in anti-social offences and "miscellaneous offences”, with increases of 15 and 21 respectively. Miscellaneous offences includes aviation legislation.
Police Scotland said the increase in arrests comes as a result of proactive working with partner agencies focusing on serious and organised crime, terrorism and anti-social behaviour.
Detective Superintendent Derek Callan, Head of Border Policing Command, said: “We work across Scotland’s airports to prevent and detect criminal activity, tackling anti-social behaviour whilst maintaining national security.
“Any increase in detection is due to the proactive partnership working with key agencies. We are focused on disrupting serious and organised crime, the threat of terrorism, and discouraging those who get involved in anti-social behaviour.”
In 2025, 80 of those arrested were kept in custody for court the next available day, while 60 were released with a report made to the procurator fiscal. There were 21 people released to appear in court at a later date and three issued with a recorded police warning.
There have been calls in recent years to limit alcohol consumption in airports as police instances rose.
In an interview with The Times, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary called on licensing hours to match those in place outside of airports. However, DS Callan called unacceptable behaviour including alcohol misuse “rare”.
He said: “Whilst the airports have bespoke licensing arrangements in place, we work closely with airport partners through initiatives such as Campus Watch and ‘Abuse Doesn’t Fly’ to demonstrate our commitment to dealing with any instances of unacceptable behaviour, including alcohol misuse, although thankfully these cases are rare, with the vast majority of airport users behaving responsibility”
Arrests are still uncommon at Edinburgh Airport, with a tiny fraction of passengers being involved in incidents at Scotland’s busiest airport.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: "The reported incidents make up 0.002% of our 16.9 million passengers in 2025, reflecting the effectiveness of our close collaboration with Police Scotland and our campus partners.
"We continue to work closely to maintain a safe and secure environment for all."