Japan Airlines Apologises After Another Pilot Drinking Report
The captain was relieved from duty after it was discovered they had consumed alcohol ahead of a Honolulu-Nagoya flight, FNN reported.
Japan Airlines Co. issued an apology after one of its pilots was reported to have been relieved of duty after drinking alcohol ahead of an international flight in late August.
Japanese transport ministry officials on Wednesday conducted a surprise inspection of the airline’s headquarters, according to broadcaster FNN, which also reported the pilot incident, citing an unidentified source.
Japan Airlines declined to comment on the report of the government audit. Japan’s transport ministry also declined to comment.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers and all parties involved for the inconvenience and trouble caused,” the company said in an emailed statement.
“We take this matter very seriously, especially considering that it occurred while we were already under administrative guidance due to multiple safety incidents, including alcohol-related cases, and were working to prevent recurrence,” JAL said.
The captain was relieved from duty after it was discovered they had consumed alcohol ahead of a Honolulu-Nagoya flight, FNN reported. Three flights from Honolulu were delayed by about 18 hours on Aug. 28 because of the incident, TV Tokyo reported on Tuesday.
The incident follows previous occurrences involving alcohol and JAL pilots, which led the carrier to give assurances of stricter management oversight.
The Japanese transport ministry in late December issued a business improvement notice to JAL after various in-flight incidents in 2024, including a pilot’s excessive consumption of alcohol.
JAL Chairman Yuji Akasaka in February was stripped of his responsibility overseeing safety measures, and the salaries of Akasaka and Chief Executive Officer Mitsuko Tottori were cut by 30% for two months. Other senior managers were demoted as part of corrective measures.
In 2018, Akasaka had his pay docked by 20% for three months after a separate pilot drinking incident.
“We are committed to working as a company to ensure the thorough implementation of measures to prevent recurrence,” JAL said in its Wednesday statement.
