ANA unit given biz improvement order over pilot’s drinking

February 1, 2019

Tokyo--The Japanese transport ministry hit ANA Wings Co. with a business improvement order on Friday over a recent drinking incident involving a male pilot of the ANA Holdings Inc. <9202> unit.

The business improvement order represents a tougher measure by the ministry than the strong warning it issued to ANA Wings in December over a similar incident involving a different pilot.

The ministry summoned ANA Wings President Hiroki Izumi and issued the order.

In the latest case, the pilot tested positive for alcohol at Osaka International Airport ahead of a flight on Jan. 3, delaying five flights and affecting a total of 677 passengers.

The pilot drank beer and other alcoholic beverages the previous day. He violated the company's rules on drinking amounts and hours.

The pilot initially made a false declaration on how much and when he drank on Jan. 2, while the male copilot of his planned flight gave a statement in line with the false declaration, as requested by the pilot.

The ministry suspended the pilot for one year and the copilot for 10 days, while demanding that the airline report measures to prevent similar incidents.

ANA Wings has already dismissed the pilot over the drinking incident.

Izumi and Yuji Hirako, president and chief executive officer of All Nippon Airways, another ANA Holdings unit, will have their executive pay cut by 20 pct for one month to take responsibility.

In the earlier case, in October, the different male pilot became unable to perform his flight duty, due to his poor condition after drinking alcohol in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, the day before. A resulting change of pilot caused delays for five flights.

The pilot has since resigned, as requested by the company. Jiji Press