Japan Airlines has submitted a report to its country’s transport ministry following an incident involving one of its pilots consuming alcohol during an overseas stay in Honolulu, leading to lengthy flight delays.
The airline received a reprimand shortly after the incident, which required the submission of a revised alcohol policy.
Starting this month, the airline will utilize blood test results to aid in assessing a pilot’s risk of abusing the airline’s zero-tolerance alcohol policy.
The airline already conducts blood tests for pilots over the age of 40 twice a year. Past recorded incidents will also play a role in determining whether or not a pilot is deemed a risk.
In the case that a pilot is considered at risk of breaking the airline’s alcohol policy, the pilot would stop flying for some time and take further steps with the airline to return to work.
Additionally, the airline will make pilots conduct an alcohol test 8 to 18 hours before departure during an overseas stay. This will be in addition to the tests conducted at the airport.
Japan Airlines plans to consult with all its pilots regarding the issue starting this month to discuss policy changes and receive input and suggestions.
The airline considered making its pilots sign an agreement to follow its new alcohol policy, but did not go ahead with it. “Making pilots sign a paper isn’t the point,” said Masaki Minami, JAL’s head of flight operations. “We’ll make sure to discuss the policy thoroughly with everyone.”
The most recent incident came at the end of August, when a pilot consumed three alcoholic beverages the day before a flight out of Honolulu, causing delays of over 18 hours. This came just 9 months after a similar incident in Melbourne, which forced the airline to ban drinking while at overseas destinations.
The pilot involved in the Honolulu incident reportedly broke this new policy 10 times since May, and had tampered with his own testing kit to make it seem that an alcohol test was conducted at an earlier time.
Featured image by the author.
