TOKYO - Japan's transport ministry on Friday reprimanded Japan Airlines Co. and urged it to compile preventive measures by July 17 after an incident in which two cabin attendants drank the day before a flight in May, delaying a scheduled flight for about 40 minutes.
The female JAL employees had falsely reported in an internal investigation that they had not consumed alcohol in violation of company regulations, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The ministry determined that the two women -- the chief cabin attendant, in her 50s, who was later fired by JAL, and the other attendant, in her 30s, who was suspended -- both tried to cover up the incident.
It said the incident showed that "awareness of safety issues has yet to be thoroughly ensured."
In a statement on Friday, JAL also announced punitive measures for all board members, including a 30 percent pay cut for President Mitsuko Tottori for two months, saying it "takes this matter extremely seriously and deeply apologizes."
The aircraft was scheduled to depart from Hiroshima to Tokyo's Haneda airport at 7:40 a.m. on May 23, but was delayed until 8:22 a.m. The chief cabin attendant drank alcohol at a hotel lounge beyond the time permitted under company rules the previous day.
After failing to properly report the result of an alcohol test conducted before heading to the airport, she was tested again upon arrival and found to have alcohol in her system, prompting her removal from duty and replacement by another crew member.
The other attendant in her 30s reported feeling unwell and was absent from work, the company said.
The latest incident follows multiple similar alcohol-related scandals involving the airline which caused flight cancellations and delays in recent years, including a case in 2024 in which a captain and co-pilot were found to have attempted to conceal excessive drinking before a flight from Melbourne, Australia to Narita near Tokyo.
Last year, a flight bound for Japan from Honolulu was delayed for over 18 hours after alcohol was detected in the pilot's system, with two other flights also delayed.
The ministry had already issued a business improvement order to JAL in December 2024 and given it a warning in September last year.
