A flight to Melbourne was delayed by over three hours earlier this month after two pilots tested above the alcohol limit.
Flight JL774 was due to fly out from Melbourne, Australia to Tokyo, Japan on 1 December at 7.20am local time, however, it did not depart until 10.31am.
Japan Airlines confirmed to Aviation A2Z that the delay was due to two unnamed experienced male captains having alcohol levels that exceeded the company’s limit.
Both pilots conducted self-administered breath tests at their hotel around 5am local time, finding the exceeding alcohol limits. Captain A initially asked for a shift delay due to illness, while Captain B left for the airport, according to the outlet.
Additional airport testing confirmed that Captain B had elevated alcohol levels, requiring multiple tests before a safe reading was finally obtained by 8.15am.
After retesting at the hotel, Captain A then also cleared the alcohol limit and arrived at the airport around 6am, the outlet says.
The flight ultimately departed Melbourne three hours and 11 minutes after it was scheduled, and arrived in Tokyo at 5.57pm local time.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft had 103 passengers onboard, with 11 crew members, including two captains, one co-pilot, and eight cabin attendants.
Japan Airlines told The Independent that the flight “was not operated with crew members under the influence of alcohol”.
“The pre-flight alcohol test confirmed a 0.00 mg/l (milligrams per litre ) reading. But the flight was delayed due to two scheduled flight crew members being found to have alcohol in their system during a pre-flight check at their hotel.
“Subsequent tests confirmed a 0.00 mg/l alcohol level, and the flight eventually departed. Including other preparations, the departure was delayed by 3 hours and 11 minutes.
“We take this incident very seriously and deeply regret that it occurred despite strict warnings. We will take thorough measures to prevent recurrence,” the airline added.
After an internal investigation on 3 December, both Captains A and B were found to have violated company alcohol regulations, the publication reported.
The pilots had reportedly consumed two glasses of sparkling wine as well as two bottles of wine between 2pm and 4pm on 30 November, the day before the flight was due to take off.
Japan Airlines has internal guidelines that prohibit drinking within 12 hours of boarding, and in 2018, introduced a new breathalyser system at airports abroad to test its pilots.
Japan Airlines reported the incident to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
This incident comes months after a Japan Airlines captain got drunk at a hotel bar, causing a flight from Dallas to Tokyo to be cancelled in April this year.
The unnamed 49-year-old captain started drinking as he dined with fellow crew members at a restaurant after landing his flight from Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Monday, the airline said.
He continued to party in the lounge of his hotel and later his room, despite staff warning him against disruptive behaviour.
The situation escalated to the hotel staff having to call the police as he kept making noise. While the pilot did not violate the guidelines of drinking within 12 hours of boarding, the airline prohibited him from flying as a precautionary measure.
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