JAL to Face Stern Warning Over Pilot Drinking Scandal
Tokyo, Sept. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japan's transport ministry plans to issue a stern warning to Japan Airlines, or JAL, over a drinking scandal involving a 64-year-old male pilot, it was learned Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, the ministry will summon JAL executives to hand a document demanding that the company submit a report on preventive measures.
Over a similar scandal involving two other pilots last December, the airline had faced a severe administrative action, a business improvement recommendation.
In the latest scandal, the pilot drank three bottles of beer at a hotel one day before he was scheduled to fly from Honolulu, Hawaii, on Aug. 28, and reported this to the company after testing positive for alcohol in a voluntary inspection on the day of the flight, according to JAL.
The pilot had repeatedly violated JAL's internal rules prohibiting alcohol consumption at a hotel before a flight. During a meeting with an occupational physician late last month, he promised to stop drinking, according to the company.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
