Tokyo, September 17, 2025 – Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced salary reductions for 37 executives following an alcohol-related incident involving a captain at Honolulu International Airport (HNL). The move comes after Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued a reprimand to the airline for inadequate internal controls.
The 64-year-old captain, scheduled to fly JL793 from Honolulu to Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) on August 28, 2025, admitted to drinking three bottles of 9.5% alcohol beer the night before. He reported sick on the day of the flight, leading to crew changes that delayed three flights and affected about 630 passengers, with some waits lasting up to 18 hours.
JAL dismissed the captain on September 11, 2025, as a disciplinary action. President Mitsuko Tottori will have her salary cut by 30% for two months. Managing Executive Officer and Chief Safety Officer Yukio Nakagawa, and Masaki Minami, head of flight operations, will face 20% reductions for one month. The other 34 executives will see 10% pay cuts for one month. The airline stated that these steps aim to show responsibility, restore public trust, and improve safety oversight amid repeated crew alcohol issues.
This incident is the second alcohol violation involving JAL pilots in less than a year. In December 2024, two captains on flight JL774 from Melbourne to Tokyo Narita Airport exceeded alcohol limits set for 12 hours before duty, causing a three-hour delay. Although their blood alcohol levels tested at 0.00 mg/l at departure, the ministry issued a business improvement advisory, leading JAL to extend its no-alcohol rule to 24 hours before duty and require breathalyzer tests. Earlier cases include an April 2024 cancellation of a Dallas-Tokyo flight due to a pilot’s intoxication during a layover, and a 2018 London-Tokyo cancellation after a pilot’s blood alcohol level reached 0.189.
On September 10, 2025, the ministry summoned JAL’s chief safety officer and issued a second written reprimand within a year, urging better preventive measures. Officials emphasized that aviation safety requires full compliance with alcohol rules.
In a press conference, President Tottori apologized and committed to stricter pre-flight checks, new monitoring systems, enhanced training, and a review of supervision processes to prevent future issues.
Japan Airlines, Japan’s flag carrier and a oneworld alliance member, has faced scrutiny over crew alcohol policies amid a strict zero-tolerance approach stricter than many global standards. The aviation industry worldwide enforces rules like the International Civil Aviation Organization’s 8-hour “bottle to throttle” limit, but incidents highlight ongoing challenges in enforcement during international layovers. Regulators view these events as risks to passenger safety, prompting airlines to adopt technologies like random testing.
(Sources: International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines; Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism reports)
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