Japan’s aviation industry is making embarrassing headlines with its crew’s alcohol problems. Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii was forced to announce more stringent rules for the industry today. The reason was the recent British police arrest of an airline Japan Airlines co-pilot (JAL) before a scheduled flight from London to Tokyo. Two bottles of wine, four big beers According to Japanese media, the 42-year-old Japanese had drunk two bottles of wine and nearly two liters of beer the night before the flight – which is far beyond the UK allowance.
An alcohol test of the Japanese airline man, however, the problem. Only the driver of an airport bus noticed the alcohol stink of the Japanese, whereupon he alerted the police. The machine therefore canceled late and only with two instead of the usual three pilots in the direction of Tokyo. In front of a British court, the pilot admitted to having drunk more than there.
Again and again cases of alcohol abuse But the Japanese is not an isolated case. In recent years, cases of alcohol abuse in Japan’s aviation industry come to light. So the JAL competitor All Nippon Airways (ANA) had these days for delays on Japan’s holiday island Okinawa apologize, because one of the pilots was unwell after a night of drinking. A JAL flight attendant was also caught drinking a beer in a cabin toilet during a flight. It will look at the standards in other countries and introduce stricter rules, promised Transport Minister Ishii. Everything is done to ensure flight safety.
