Airline pilots have strict procedures to follow before getting behind the controls of an aircraft, one of which is an airline’s drinking policy. Japan Airlines made a statement apologizing for an incident that occurred on August 28, where a pilot was taken off duty after learning he had drunk alcohol before an international flight.
“We sincerely apologise to our customers and all parties involved for the inconvenience and trouble caused,” said the airline in a 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.”
The pilot in question was scheduled to fly an international flight from Honolulu, U.S., to Chubu Centrair Airport located in central Japan. On the day of departure, the pilot called in sick, only to later reveal that he had consumed alcohol the night prior. He admitted to violating the airline’s drinking policy.
The incident caused the Honolulu-Nagoya service and two other Japan-bound flights to be delayed as the airline looked for a replacement pilot. As a result, roughly 630 passengers were left stranded for 18 hours due to the delay.
According to Japan Airlines guidelines, they forbid consumption of alcohol within 12 hours before a flight, setting the internal limit of 40g of alcohol pre-duty (roughly a half bottle of wine).
In December 2024, the airline was issued a business improvement notice following cases where pilots were found to have consumed alcohol within the 12-hour policy. Due to repeated infractions, the airline updated its policy to a 24-hour no-alcohol rule and mandatory breathalyzer tests.
After the recent violation in August, the Japanese transport ministry carried out a surprise inspection on Wednesday at the airline’s Tokyo headquarters. The result of the investigation has not been made public.
