Lord Tariq Ahmad, who was appointed earlier this month, is to look into how bars, restaurants and duty-free stores sell alcohol at the UK’s airports.

Nearly 450 people have been held on suspicion of being drunk at a UK airport or onboard an aircraft in the last two years.

Lord Ahmad said: “I don’t think we want to kill merriment altogether, but I think it’s important that passengers who board planes are also responsible and have a responsibility to other passengers, and that certainly should be the factor which we bear in mind.

“In terms of specific regulations of timings of outlets and how they operate, clearly I want to have a look at that.”

Ahmad also talked the importance of screening travellers before they board their flights.

Airports such as Manchester and Glasgow have trialled schemes where shops have sold alcohol in sealed bags to try to reduce the problem of drunken passengers.