A Japan Airlines pilot violated company rules and drank alcohol the day before his flight scheduled to depart from Hawaii on August 28.

The carrier said the pilot drank three beers at his hotel room on August 27.

The next day, he told his company he was not feeling well and reported that he drank alcohol.

This prompted officials to cancel his duty to fly from Honolulu to Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture.

The incident caused delays of up to about 18 hours in three flights bound for Japan.

In December 2024, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued a business improvement order to Japan Airlines over issues involving its employees and alcohol consumption.

In response, the company revised its rules and banned drinking while pilots and cabin crew are staying at destinations for flight duty.

On September 3, transport ministry officials visited Japan Airlines’ operation base at Haneda Airport in Tokyo to investigate the latest incident.