A Japan Airlines pilot admitted to the airline for drinking before a flight from Honolulu last week, causing lengthy delays and disruptions. The airline’s ongoing investigation has revealed that the pilot had tampered with the alcohol testing kit to avoid getting caught, both in last week’s Honolulu incident and on multiple previous occasions.
The flight involved was Japan Airlines flight JL793 from Honolulu (HNL) to Nagoya (NGO) on 28 August 2025. According to the airline, the pilot had consumed three alcoholic beverages, each with a 9.5% ABV, at around noon time on 27 August 2025, the previous day.
The following morning, the pilot used their alcohol testing kit approximately 60 times over a span of five hours. Each result showed the presence of alcohol, and the pilot notified the airline of feeling unwell just before departure from the hotel.
Additionally, 10 of the 60 tests conducted by the pilot had their date altered in an attempt to create the appearance that the tests had been done at an earlier time.
Japan Airlines has four different stages of alcohol testing before a pilot boards a flight. The first involves a testing kit provided to pilots and is conducted independently. A second test is conducted before departure from the hotel, a third upon arrival at the airport, and a fourth prior to boarding an aircraft.
The testing kit used by the pilot in the incident is the first stage, where the results are not reported to the airline and are not kept on record. Japan Airlines was unaware of the pilot’s drinking in the hotel and alcohol testing until it was self-reported.
This incident comes just nine months after a similar one in Melbourne, where two Japan Airlines pilots caused delays after drinking alcohol before a flight. The airline has since implemented new restrictions, including a ban on pilots from drinking during overseas stays.
Despite this, the pilot involved in this Honolulu incident had broken this rule 10 times since May and had tampered with the results on their testing kit multiple times in a similar manner.
Senior executives have stated that it will take stern action and a revision of its alcohol policy.
Japan Airlines has faced negative public scrutiny in Japan, with such incidents appearing to have been happening perhaps at a disproportionate rate compared to other airlines in the country and around the world.
Featured image by the author.
