INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesJapan Airlines will introduce a new breathalyser system at airports abroad after one of its pilots was arrested
at Heathrow Airport for being drunk.Katsutoshi Jitsukawa was arrested last month after a test showed he was nine times over the legal
alcohol limit.Reports in Japan say Mr Jitsukawa also cheated on an airline breathalyser test before his arrest.The new measures also come
after a series of Japan Airlines flights were delayed due to intoxicated pilots
Japanese law does not set limits for alcohol consumption by pilots.Instead, it is up to airlines to determine alcohol limits for pilots on
Mr Jitsukawa was arrested after he was found to have 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system - the legal limit for a pilot in the
UK is 20mg.He had earlier cheated on an in-house breathalyser test, taking it at a distance from the chief pilots who were supposed to
oversee it, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.The co-pilot did not blow the necessary amount of air into the device and "deliberately got
around the test", the newspaper quoted the Japan Airlines report as saying.The chief pilots had also admitted failing to oversee the test
properly, the report added."The company takes this violation seriously, as safety remains our utmost priority, and sincerely apologizes to
all affected by the employee's actions," Japan Airlines said in a statement.Since August 2017, there have been 19 cases where Japan Airlines
pilots have failed the company's alcohol tests, a spokesperson for the firm said
Twelve flights were delayed as a result, with the remaining seven operating on time because alternative crew members were found
Japan Airlines will implement a series of measures as a result of the recent breaches.These include new breathalyser systems at overseas
airports and introducing penalties "for flight crew violating the regulated alcohol concentration level"
The new systems are already in place at Heathrow and domestic airports in Japan, the spokesperson said
They will be introduced at other airports on 19 November
Pilots will also be prohibited from consuming alcohol in the 24 hours prior to reporting for a flight from Japan, the firm said.Other
airlines have also had recent trouble with intoxicated pilots
A British Airways pilot who turned up for work after drinking three double vodkas was jailed earlier this year.In India, a pilot was also
recently barred from flying for three years after he failed an alcohol test.
