Japan Airlines is introducing a new breathalyser system at airports after its pilots failed alcohol limit tests in a series of incidents.
Japan Airlines has moved to update its rules on drinking alcohol after its pilots have been caught over the limit whilst on duty all too often.
The flagship carrier’s pilots have failed breathalyser tests 19 times since August 2017.
The most recent incident was when Katsutoshi Jitsukawa was arrested last month at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Jitsukawa was found to have 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system – almost 20 times over the limit.
The co-pilot had first cheated an in-house breathalyser test before London Metropolitan Police testing him with their own device.
Jitsukawa had consumed two bottles of wine and five cans of beer over a six-hour period the previous evening.
The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to exceeding the alcohol limit at Uxbridge Magistrates Court earlier this month and will be sentenced next week.
In a bid to prevent anymore incidents, JAL will begin breathalysing pilots at all overseas airports.
The airline will also ban alcohol consumption in the 24 hours before a flight, instead of the current 12 hours.
Incredibly, Japanese law does not set limits for alcohol consumption by pilots.
Instead, it is up to airlines to determine alcohol limits for pilots on duty.
As a result, eight of the 25 Japanese airlines do not impose alcohol tests on their pilots.
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