'Dry airlines': airlines not serving alcohol, only water and juice. Even in Business
When I asked a Kuwait Airways executive a few years ago whether the ban on consuming alcohol on board [...]
Saudia
Riyadh Air
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When I asked a Kuwait Airways executive a few years ago if the prohibition of alcohol consumption on board their flights did not penalize load factor, especially in Business and First Class, my interlocutor blinked, implying that he did not understand the question. Then, he simply explained that, alcohol consumption being prohibited by law in Kuwait, it would have been impossible for the airline to serve wine, beer or spirits on its airplanes. Period. Issue closed.
What are dry airlines
In English, airlines such as Kuwait Airways are called 'dry airlines.' And for those in business class who consider the possibility of consuming champagne and fine wines as a key part of the travel experience, they are to be avoided like the plague. Especially on long-haul flights, Where the wine offerings can be really interesting and justify, at least in part, the high cost of a Business (or First Class) ticket.
Which companies do not serve alcohol on board
The list of 'dry airlines' includes, of course, only the following carriers from countries of the Islamic religion. But the reverse is not true in the sense that not all carriers from Islamic countries do not serve alcohol on their flights.
This is the case with Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways., which from their relatively recent inception have over the years earned the appreciation of passengers, especially premium passengers, partly due to the quality of wines, champagnes and super spirits served on board. Oman Air, even more recently established, has followed the same path as the 'big three in the Gulf,' on par with a historical name in commercial aviation in that region, Gulf Air.
In practice, the only no-alcohol airlines on the West Coast of the Gulf are Kuwaiti Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways., as well as the low-cost Air Arabia which is based in the emirate of Sharjah, a few dozen kilometers north of Dubai.
On the opposite shore of the Persian Gulf, it has banned alcohol since the 1979 Khomeinist revolution even Iran Air, and the same goes for the country's other carrier that also flies abroad, Mahan Air.
Only soft drinks are served on board all Saudi Arabian companies: Saudia, FlyNas, Flyadeal. Also RiyadhAir, the super-public company that will be based in the Saudi capital, will not be able to escape the alcohol ban.
Outside the Arabian Peninsula, they are 'dry' Pakistan International Airlines, Biman Bangladesh, and Royal Brunei Airlines, the national airline of the small sultanate located in Borneo, which is also one of the most rigidly Muslim countries in the world.
Egyptair serves only soft drinks on some routes to and from Muslim countries (such as Iran) and during the month of Ramadan. Other companies eliminate beer wine and super spirits from their in-flight catering during the Muslim holy month: they do, for example, Tunis Air and Air Algerie.
No alcohol even in the lounge
Yeah, but what do people drink on board and in lounges on these airlines to accompany their meals? Water, of course, and then soft drinks and a variety of juices that is usually wider in premium classes than in Economy. For example in the fantastic AlFursan lounge in Jeddah, one of the best in the world, they served me the non-alcoholic Bellini, basically carbonated peach juice.
And, but not on all 'dry airlines,' non-alcoholic beer. Non-alcoholic wine, which is on sale for example in supermarkets in Saudi Arabia, has not yet boarded airplanes. Fortunately, it comes to be said...
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