Liquor stock goes dry in first flight from Surat to Bangkok

In a surprising turn of events, passengers aboard a Surat-Bangkok flight managed to consume the entire alcohol and snack stock during the four-hour journey. According to reports, the 300 passengers drank 15 litres of alcohol worth Rs.1.8 lakh, finishing the stock even before the flight landed in Bangkok.

Along with liquor, passengers consumed all the snacks on board, including popular Gujarati items like Khaman and Thepla. A video circulating on social media platform X shows passengers displaying empty liquor bottles, adding to the buzz surrounding the incident.

The caption on the viral video reads, "Surat to Bangkok flights started today. Passengers drank 15 litres of alcohol on the flight, and the alcohol ran out even before the plane reached Bangkok. 300 passengers consumed alcohol worth Rs.1.8 lakhs during the 4-hour-long journey. They even finished all the snacks."

This incident has raised eyebrows, particularly because alcohol consumption and sale are strictly prohibited in Gujarat due to the state’s prohibition laws, which have been in place since 1960. Despite this, residents often find ways to consume alcohol, and this flight episode highlights the strong demand for liquor among Gujaratis.

The Gujarat government has recently relaxed restrictions in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar, allowing liquor consumption in India’s first financial services center. This move is part of the government’s effort to position GIFT as a global financial hub, comparable to Singapore, by offering fiscal incentives and a more flexible regulatory framework.

As of now, there has been no official statement from the airline regarding the incident. However, it has sparked discussions about the cultural and regulatory implications of such behavior, especially in light of Gujarat’s prohibition laws.