Japan Airlines announced on Wednesday that it will cut President and CEO Mitsuko Tottori’s monthly pay by 30% over the recent pilot alcohol incident in Honolulu, in addition to punishing 36 other airline executives with salary cuts.
The airline received a reprimand from Japan’s transport ministry last week and vowed to take stern action by reviewing its alcohol policy for its crew.
President and CEO Tottori will face a monthly salary cut of 30% for two consecutive months. Managing Executive Officer and Chief Safety Officer Yukio Nakagawa and Masaki Minami, head of flight operations, will see salary cuts by 20% for a single month.
The other 34 executives will face a cut of 10% for a single month.
The most recent incident occurred on 28 August 2025 in Honolulu, when a pilot consumed three alcoholic beverages the day prior, and then admitted to the actions before their operating flight. Three flights were affected, with delays of up to 18 hours.
The airline found that the pilot involved had also tampered with the alcohol testing kit both during this incident and on multiple previous occasions.
This came just nine months after a similar incident in Melbourne, where two pilots were fired after drinking during their overseas stay, delaying their flights.
Japan Airlines looks to restore public confidence in Japan, which has waned following these recent incidents. The airline has reportedly dismissed the pilot involved in the Honolulu incident.
Featured image by the author.
