Japan Airlines Faces Transport Ministry Reprimand Over Drunken Pilot Incidents

Japan Airlines (JAL) issued a public apology on Wednesday, September 10, after the Japanese transport ministry reprimanded the carrier over a string of alcohol-related incidents that have caused significant flight delays. The ministry’s action follows a surprise inspection last week that found JAL’s safety management system and oversight procedures to be inadequate.

According to the ministry, there have been at least three cases in the past year where JAL pilots either failed pre-flight alcohol tests or were reported to the police for drunken behavior. The most recent occurred in late August, when a pilot scheduled to fly from Honolulu to Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture was suspended after failing a voluntary alcohol test, delaying three flights by up to 18.5 hours. The pilot faces dismissal.

Other incidents include a canceled flight from Dallas in April last year after a hotel called police on a noisy, intoxicated pilot, and a December episode in which two pilots drank heavily before duty and then tried to cover it up, resulting in another delay. In response to earlier incidents, the transport ministry had issued a business improvement order to JAL, prompting the airline to ban pilots from consuming alcohol overseas between flights.

JAL President Mitsuko Tottori acknowledged on Wednesday that those measures were insufficient and pledged stricter preventive actions. “By comprehensively evaluating health check data and other information, we will ensure that crew members identified as having a particularly high risk related to alcohol consumption will not be assigned to flight duties,” Tottori said.

Under the new policy, pilots with liver problems or past alcohol issues will be designated “high risk” and removed from flight duties, while those deemed at moderate risk may be required to submit images of alcohol test results at their place of stay. So far, four pilots have been temporarily removed from service. JAL also plans to improve communication between management and the flight operations branch.

The airline must submit a detailed report on its new preventative measures to the transport ministry by the end of the month.


Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=Japan+Airlines, https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/travel-health-security/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, japantimes.co.jp