Former Japan Airlines Pilots Suspended for Excessive Drinking and Deception

Two ex-pilots from Japan Airlines have faced suspension from flying duties imposed by the Japanese transport ministry after they were caught drinking excessively before a flight. They not only breached the regulations that forbid alcohol consumption within 12 hours of a flight but also attempted to mislead their employer regarding their actions.

The ministry has highlighted that both pilots provided false accounts to Japan Airlines after arriving, trying to conceal their excessive drinking. As a consequence of their actions, they have received suspensions lasting up to seven months and were dismissed by the airline following an incident last December that involved a three-hour delay of a flight from Melbourne to Tokyo due to their inability to comply with the alcohol limits.

In light of these events, JAL noted that its top executives would face a substantial pay reduction of 30% for the next two months as a form of accountability for the incident. This situation comes against a backdrop of increased scrutiny on pilot alcohol consumption, as the transport ministry had previously mandated JAL to implement measures to prevent similar situations following a disruptive incident involving a pilot who had been intoxicated at a hotel, leading to a flight cancellation. Japan has enforced stricter regulations on alcohol use by pilots since 2019 in response to various alarming occurrences, including a co-pilot's failed breath test and a past incident involving a pilot arrested in the UK for extremely high blood alcohol levels.