Japan Airlines Pilot Admits to Drinking in Hawaii Layover
Three Flights Delayed Up to 18 Hours on the Same Day
Captain Acknowledges "I Drank About 10 Times So Far"
Despite Being on Watch List and Pledging Sobriety, Incident Occurred
The Japan Airlines (JAL) pilot drinking incident is rapidly escalating. The male international flight captain, identified as Mr. A (64), had a previous record of alcohol consumption and was already on a watch list. Despite pledging to abstain from drinking to the company, it was revealed that he consumed alcohol the day before his flight and even manipulated his test records.
According to a summary of reports from Japanese media, including the Yomiuri Shimbun on September 5, Japan Airlines disclosed these facts and issued an official apology at a press conference the previous day. Captain A was scheduled to board a flight from Honolulu, Hawaii to Chubu (Nagoya) on August 28 (local time). However, on the afternoon of the 27th, the day before the flight, he drank three bottles (about 550 ml each) of beer with an alcohol content of 9.5% in his hotel room. The following morning, on the 28th, he voluntarily conducted an alcohol test in his hotel room, which detected 0.45 mg of alcohol per liter in his breath. It was reported that he informed the company of his drinking just before departure. As a result, a total of three flights, including the one he was originally scheduled to board, were delayed for up to 18 hours, causing significant disruption and affecting approximately 630 passengers.
According to Japan Airlines’ investigation, Captain A had undergone about 60 tests in total, and it was confirmed that he manipulated the dates on some of these records. Even after a ban on drinking during overseas stays was implemented in December last year, traces of record manipulation were found multiple times. The captain reportedly explained, "I drank alcohol about 10 times during my stays so far."
In December last year, Japan Airlines also faced a similar incident when the captain and first officer of a flight scheduled to depart from Melbourne, Australia to Narita Airport in Japan drank a glass of sparkling wine each and three bottles of red wine at a restaurant in Melbourne the night before the flight. They did not report this, and when alcohol was detected in the pre-flight test, they repeatedly requested retesting, claiming there might be an error. As a result, the flight departed 3 hours and 11 minutes late and arrived at Narita, and it was only three days later that the two admitted to drinking beyond the permitted limits. Consequently, the airline received administrative guidance from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Following this incident, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Japan Airlines had their salaries reduced by 30% for two months, and the Chief Safety Officer was removed from the position.
Since January this year, Japan Airlines announced it would strengthen the ban on drinking at layover locations and add employees with a high risk of alcohol consumption to a "watch list." The captain involved in the recent incident was also on this list, and in August, after consulting with an occupational medicine specialist, he pledged to abstain from alcohol. Japan Airlines is currently considering disciplinary action against the captain.
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