Japan Airlines faces repeated warning over drunk pilot incident
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Japan Airlines has issued a public apology and received a second official warning from the Japanese government after a pilot was deemed unfit to fly due to alcohol consumption, causing major flight delays.
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Japan Airlines airplanes are parked at a terminal as another takes off from the Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Wednesday, August 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Japan Airlines (JAL) has issued a public apology after a drunk pilot incident on August 28 led to the delay of three flights, one of them by as much as 18 hours. The pilot had reportedly consumed excessive alcohol during a stopover in Hawaii and was unfit to operate his scheduled flight to Nagoya the following day.
The incident marks the second official warning issued to JAL by Japan's Transport Ministry within a year.
JAL President Mitsuko Tottori addressed the media on Wednesday, offering a formal apology and acknowledging the seriousness of the event.
“We take this situation extremely seriously, as this happened despite measures put in place last December,” Tottori said.
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Airline vows stricter alcohol and health monitoring
In response to the incident, JAL pledged to intensify checks on employee alcohol consumption and overall health during work assignments. The airline had previously banned all alcohol use among flight crews during overnight work stays following a similar event in December 2023.
That earlier case involved two pilots attempting to conceal their alcohol use before a flight from Melbourne to Narita, which resulted in a three-hour delay and the first warning from regulators.
On Wednesday, JAL’s Chief Safety Officer Yukio Nakagawa was summoned by the Transport Ministry and handed a written warning. He bowed deeply in front of reporters as a gesture of remorse.
Previous cases highlight ongoing safety concerns
The latest drunk pilot incident has reignited concerns about aviation safety in Japan, especially as it follows a series of similar infractions by JAL personnel in recent years.
Transport Minister Hiromasa Nakano previously voiced strong criticism of the airline, saying, “The fact that this kind of incident has occurred repeatedly is... because the firm has failed to thoroughly educate each and every employee about safety issues,” he said. “It is extremely regrettable.”
In 2018, a JAL pilot was arrested in the United Kingdom just before a flight after testing nearly 10 times over the legal blood alcohol limit.
The ministry has called on JAL to implement more robust internal training and accountability mechanisms to prevent future violations and ensure passenger trust in the airline’s safety standards.
