Despite Japan’s new stricter rules regarding off-duty drinking, airline pilots are still not getting the message.
Yet another Japanese pilot was judged to be over the limit when arriving for duty, causing a short flight delay.
The co-pilot, in his 40s, flies for ANA Holdings’ subsidiary Air Japan.
The breathalyser test showed the co-pilot was over the alcohol limit.
The pilot had drunk more than 10 cans of beer, two glasses of white wine and a bottle of red wine, although the drinking had ceased before the prescribed 12 hours before a flight under ANA company rules.
After a spate of recent incidents of failed breath tests, Japan’s ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism had warned airlines to tighten up rules and administer more stringent alcohol tests to pilots.
Several over the limit pilots have caused flight delays and damaged Japan’s aviation image.
It included one pilot being jailed in the UK for being nearly 10 times over the alcohol limit.
"We were not able to prevent a similar incident from occurring and we take it very seriously," ANA said in a statement.
