JAL Nonchalance About Pilots' Disregard for Safety is Frightening

How do you treat your job responsibilities? Aircraft accidents cause enormous damage that directly affects the lives of passengers and crew members. Shouldn't an airplane pilot understand this best of all? Japan Airlines (JAL), the airline involved in a recent scandal, has been entirely too nonchalant in its handling of the fallout.

On August 27, the day before he was to captain a flight from Hawaii, a JAL pilot drank three 568 milliliter bottles of beer in his hotel room. Then, the next day, he complained of feeling unwell. Although a substitute pilot was eventually found, a total of three flights were delayed for up to 18 hours. His behavior disrupted approximately 630 passengers.

As recently as April 2024, a JAL flight to Haneda International Airport was cancelled after a pilot in the United States was warned by local police for causing a commotion while drinking.

Then, in December, blood tests of the captain and co-pilot of a flight from Melbourne to Narita International Airport showed blood alcohol levels above the company-set limit. That caused a three-hour delay in the departure of their flight. Moreover, it was revealed that the pilots had colluded to cover up the affair.

JAL's Half-hearted Reaction

JAL has since banned all alcohol consumption by pilots at their destinations. The company has compiled a list of employees who have been found to drink excessively. It has also reported to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism the measures it has taken to prevent recurrence of past problems, such as strict supervision of its employees.

Nevertheless, the captain of the recent Hawaii flight was listed as an "employee who should be monitored." In fact, he had been advised to limit his drinking in his most recent performance review interview before the incident. That was because voluntary alcohol level tests taken at his hotel on around 60 separate occasions repeatedly detected alcohol in his system. And, on more than one occasion, he even tampered with the detection devices to falsify the test dates.

Since May, the captain in question was found to have drunk alcohol on around 10 occasions while at a destination. It is difficult to understand why JAL has repeatedly overlooked this pilot's misconduct and continued to allow him to fly. It is not only bewildering, it is also frightening.

*Japan Airlines employees visiting the Osutaka Ridge on a memorial climb. (Photo provided by JAL)*

Reminder of the Tragedy of Accidents

August 12 marked the 40th anniversary of the Japan Airlines Flight 123 jumbo jet crash, which killed 520 passengers and crew. Families and other affected parties gathered on that date for a memorial service at the Memorial Garden in Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture. The garden is near the actual crash site on Osutaka Ridge.

After the ceremony, JAL president Mitsuko Tottori said: "We will bear firmly in mind that safety is our top priority. That is not just because it has been 40 years, but also for 50 and 100 years to come."

She also addressed the problem of JAL pilots who drink too much. "We will only regain the public's trust when the recurrence prevention results become apparent," she declared.

However, what is the use of talking about 50 or 100 years when JAL broke its promise concerning safety in the very same month? This was not an incident 50 or 100 years in the future. JAL itself has forfeited the trust of its customers.

Transport Minister Hiromasa Nakano has commented, "I have to say that safety awareness is not thoroughly instilled in each and every employee [at JAL]."

For JAL to regain the public's trust, all employees must resurrect the resolve they showed in the aftermath of the Osutaka tragedy.