Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori (R) apologizes at a press conference after receiving a letter of severe warning from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, regarding a pilot's drinking scandal, in Tokyo on September 10, 2025. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
Tokyo: Japan Airlines publicly apologised Wednesday after a drunk pilot caused the delay of three flights, prompting its second reprimand from the transport ministry in under a year.
JAL president Mitsuko Tottori held a news conference to say sorry over the August 28 incident, in which a pilot had too many drinks in Hawaii and could not operate his flight to Nagoya, Japan, the following day.
The incident caused the delay of three JAL planes, including one up to 18 hours.
Separately on Wednesday, the transport ministry summoned JAL chief safety officer Yukio Nakagawa, who bowed deeply in front of journalists as he received a fresh written warning from a senior official.
In December, JAL banned all alcohol use among flight crew during overnight work stays, after two pilots had too much booze before their flight from Melbourne to Narita.
That caused a three-hour delay as they tried to lie about their alcohol use, and the airline was given a warning.
At the news conference Wednesday, Tottori said her firm would further strengthen its checks on alcohol use and health of its staff.
"We take this situation extremely seriously, as this happened despite measures put in place last December," she said.
Transport Minister Hiromasa Nakano has already voiced his frustration at the airline.
"The fact that this kind of incident has occurred repeatedly is... because (the firm has failed to) thoroughly educate each and every employee about safety issues," he said on Friday.
"It is extremely regrettable," he added.
In 2018, a JAL pilot was arrested in Britain shortly before a flight for being almost 10 times over the legal blood alcohol limit.
