In early December, a Japan Airlines (JAL) flight from Melbourne (MEL) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) was delayed for multiple hours. Recently, JAL confirmed that the cause of the delay was due to both pilots failing breath tests. Making this JAL’s second incident with drunk pilots this year.
Not delayed because of weather
On Dec. 1, 2024, Flight JL774 experienced a three-hour delay. Unbeknownst to the passengers on the flight, it was because both pilots blew above the airline’s alcohol limit.
The two male Japanese captains, who shall be referred to as Captain A and Captain B, were the pilots for flight JL774. On the day of the flight, Captain A first requested a shift delay as he claimed he was unwell. However, Captain B did not follow his co-worker’s actions and proceeded to the airport. At the airport, Captain B underwent testing that revealed elevated levels of alcohol in his blood.
Before they were allowed to fly, the Captains had to pass a breath test. Eventually, the flight departed Melbourne at 10:31 AM. The three-hour delay meant that the flight was extremely late in landing at Narita. They landed in Narita at 5:57 PM, two hours and forty two minutes after their original landing time.
Drinking too much the night before
On the third of December, JAL conducted an internal investigation to see what actions the pilots took before their shift.
The airline states that on November thirtieth, the two pilots drank between two and four p.m. They each had two glasses of sparkling wine and shared two bottles of wine. Depending on how they poured the wine, this means each captain could have potentially had seven glasses each.
This amount of alcohol put both the pilots in serious trouble as JAL has strict rules regarding their crew and alcohol consumption. The guidelines put down by JAL state that pilots must have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of four drinks or less twelve hours before a shift. Before they fly, they must undergo a breath analyser test. If the tests return a reading above zero, they will be suspended immediately.
Although JAL has not commented on the consequences the two pilots will face, it is safe to assume due to their guidelines the pilots have been suspended. Additionally, on the sixth Of December JAL reported the incident to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. JAL states that:
We recognise the severity of this situation, especially considering our previous warning. We are conducting comprehensive interviews with the involved crew members to prevent future occurrences.
Not the first time this has happened!
This incident is not the first time JAL has had to deal with a drinking pilot. In April of this year, the pilot of flight JL11 out of Dallas (DFW) was grounded due to the pilot’s drinking.
The pilot had been drinking with other crew members in their hotel. The hotel staff issued them multiple warnings due to complaints. When they did not comply, the hotel called the police at 2:00 AM and the officers issued the pilot a warning. The pilot had not violated the airline’s guidelines as he had not been drinking within twelve hours of boarding. The airline decided to cancel the flight anyway as there was “the need to assess the captain’s physical and mental well-being.”
Due to this incident, JAL introduced a ban on all crew members drinking at their destinations. However, they lifted this ban in October. Once again, due to the recent incident with the two pilots the airline states they will be reinstating this ban. From the Dec. 11, 2024 until further notice, all JAL crew members are not allowed to drink at the destination they’re scheduled to land in.
JAL is not the only airline that is having issues with crew members drinking. Recently, two Delta flight attendants were arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) as they blew over the legal BAC right before their flight. Ultimately, JAL has taken the necessary steps to protect its customers and ensure its employees are doing the right thing. Hopefully, this will ensure that there won’t be anymore similar incidents.
What are your thoughts on the two drinking pilots? Do you think the consequences they faced were harsh enough? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
