TOKYO: Japan Airlines issued a public apology on Wednesday following an incident involving an intoxicated pilot that delayed three flights.
Company president Mitsuko Tottori held a press conference to address the August 28 occurrence where a pilot consumed excessive alcohol in Hawaii and became unfit to operate his scheduled flight to Nagoya.
This disruption resulted in delays for three separate Japan Airlines flights, with one experiencing an 18-hour postponement.
The transport ministry separately summoned JAL’s chief safety officer Yukio Nakagawa to deliver a formal written warning.
Nakagawa bowed deeply before journalists while accepting the reprimand from ministry officials.
Japan Airlines had previously implemented a complete alcohol ban for flight crews during overnight stays following a December incident involving intoxicated pilots.
That earlier case involved two pilots who consumed excessive alcohol before a Melbourne to Narita flight and subsequently attempted to conceal their condition.
The airline received its first official warning from authorities following that three-hour delay incident.
President Tottori stated the company would implement strengthened alcohol testing and health monitoring procedures for staff members.
Transport Minister Hiromasa Nakano expressed significant frustration with the airline’s repeated safety failures.
He emphasised that the recurrence demonstrated insufficient safety education reaching every employee within the organisation.
Japan Airlines faced previous alcohol-related issues including a 2018 case where a pilot was arrested in Britain for being nearly ten times over the legal alcohol limit before a flight. – AFP