Japan Airlines bans pilots from pre-flight drinking - again.

Drinking problem: Since April, there have been two
more cases of a JAL employees being unable to fly due to drink.
Photo / Getty Images Washington Post

Japan Airlines has banned its pilots from drinking alcohol 24 hours before a flight during stopovers, according to the company.

The decision follows a recent case in which a male copilot had about 10 beers on the eve of a flight and was not able to fly.

In October last year, another JAL copilot, who has since been fired, was arrested in Britain in connection with heavy drinking. Following the incident, JAL prohibited all pilots from drinking before flights in stopover locations.

The company subsequently lifted the ban in April after tightening the alcohol test conducted before each flight and setting up other preventive measures. On the evening of June 19, however, a male copilot drank 10 beers during a stopover and was unable to board a flight the following day that was scheduled to fly from Hokkaido to Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

Full story at NZ Herald.