Overview

• Japan’s transport ministry issued a formal strict warning to JAL after an international-flight captain drank before duty and became unfit to fly.
• The captain drank at a Honolulu hotel on August 28, leading to delays to three flights of up to 18 hours and 30 minutes.
• JAL had already banned drinking at pilot accommodations and kept a watchlist for higher-risk pilots, and the captain was on that list.
• Officials said repeated drinking incidents show safety awareness is not fully embedded among staff and demanded new recurrence-prevention measures within September.
• President Mitsuko Tottori apologized at a press conference, and JAL said it will quickly overhaul oversight and keep high-risk pilots off duty.