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Several Japan Airlines flights from Hawaii to Japan were delayed up to 18 hours after a pilot was found drinking the day before his flight.
The airline told Kyodo News on Wednesday that the pilot was scheduled to fly from Honolulu to Chubu Centrair International Airport on August 28. However, he called in sick the day of the flight and admitted to consuming alcohol in the hotel a day prior.
Kyodo News reported that the captain was not allowed to fly, and a replacement pilot was found for the flight. However, that flight and two others, headed for Haneda Airport in Tokyo, were delayed by around 18 hours because of the incident.
Around 630 passengers were affected by the delays, Kyodo News reported.
The news outlet said that Japanese transport and aviation officials visited Japan Airlines’ headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday and launched an investigation into the case.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers and all parties involved for the inconvenience and trouble caused,” the airlines said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.
The statement added, “We are committed to working as a company to ensure the thorough implementation of measures to prevent recurrence.”
This is at least the fourth case of a Japan Airlines pilot being caught drinking before a flight, causing delays.
In April last year, a flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled after the captain got drunk in a hotel bar and in his room. The Mainichi reported then that a hotel employee had called local police, reporting the pilot’s disorderly conduct.
In February, two Japan Airlines pilots were suspended from flying for drinking before their December flight from Melbourne to Tokyo, per an AFP report.
Representatives for Japan Airlines did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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