Pilot Flew After Consuming Alcohol Within 12-Hour Limit

The Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) issued a warning to low-cost carrier Peach Aviation after the captain of a flight from Singapore to Kansai drank two cans of beer, about a liter total, within the 12-hour time limit before flying despite a pre-shift alcohol ban, and skipped the mandatory alcohol test before operating the flight.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism disclosed the inappropriate behavior of the pilot in a media statement on February 14, 2025.

Although the pilot was not under the influence of alcohol on January 7 when the flight departed for Kansai, the captain and his second-in-command failed to take the pre-flight alcohol test. In addition, the person in charge also failed to check whether the test was implemented.

The pilot also lied about the incident when questioned by Peach.

“We were concentrating on operating the aircraft at an unfamiliar airport and forgot to take the test,” he reportedly told Peach, but also added that he thought he would not get caught.

When the person responsible for the alcohol tests noticed they had not been performed that particular day, it led Peach to conduct an investigation.

The JCAB issued a stern warning to Peach Aviation for the flight crew’s behavior as well as inadequacies in its safety management system. It ordered the airline to report by March 7 on the steps it has taken to avoid a recurrence.

Peach said it takes the incident seriously and will thoroughly analyze what happened. It will work to regain trust by taking measures against alcohol drinking and also plans to rebuild its alcohol testing system.

FMI:  www.flypeach.com/