Delayed plane in London due to drunkenness of passengers – Asia – International

Japan Airlines (JAL) is excused Thursday for the delay of a delayed London-Tokyo flight after checking the blood alcohol level of a co-pilot almost ten times the maximum allowed, according to the British police.

These excuses arrive the next day after learning that another Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, had suffered several delays due to the hangover of one of its pilots.

The JAL plane left London Sunday with a delay of one hour and 9 minutes. "The company sincerely apologizes to the pbadengers and all those affected by the actions of this employee" in a statement.

JAL officials told reporters that the co-pilot had undergone a first breathalyzer test at home, the results of which were negative. But his condition caught the attention of the bus driver who drove him to Heathrow Airport
and after an alcohol test and a blood test, the police stopped him.

"We are convinced that the first test was not performed properly," said Muneaki Kitahara, JAL's communications director, at a press conference.

According to British police, the 42-year-old co-pilot pleaded guilty Thursday in the Uxbridge court in West London .

The badysis revealed that he had 189 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, nearly ten times the limit of 20 mg allowed for a pilot.

AFP