Japan's Peach Aviation pilot drank 1 litre of beer before S'pore-Osaka flight, airline issued stern warning

A captain of a Peach Aviation flight MM774 (APJ774) operating from Singapore to Osaka, Japan, on Jan. 7, 2025, was found to have consumed alcohol before the flight.

He violated the "no-drinking period" of 12 hours before the start of flight duty, said Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism in a press release on Feb. 14.

Failure to take pre-flight alcohol tests

Investigations revealed that the captain consumed two cans of beer (500ml each) between 1:30pm and 2pm on Jan. 6, which fell within the 12-hour window before his flight duty.

Furthermore, he was found to have provided false explanations about the timing of his alcohol consumption during the airline's inquiry.

Although the captain was not under the influence of alcohol when the flight took off on Jan. 7, the entire flight crew, including the captain, neglected to take the pre-flight alcohol test as required by flight regulations.

The person in charge of managing the tests also failed to take appropriate action to ensure the tests were conducted, the ministry reported.

“We were concentrating on operating the aircraft at an unfamiliar airport and forgot to take the test,” the captain reportedly told the airline, according to The Straits Times.

He also admitted that he thought he wouldn’t get caught.

The violations were uncovered when another person responsible for alcohol testing noticed that the tests had not been conducted on Jan. 7.

Stern warning issued to Peach Aviation

Since the captain intentionally committed a violation and further compounded it by providing false explanations, the ministry has issued a stern warning to the airline.

They have instructed Peach Aviation to report measures to prevent recurrence by Mar. 7, 2025.

The ministry's Civil Aviation Bureau will continue to guide and supervise the airline to ensure corrective measures are implemented, and that a safe operating system is maintained, it said.

Peach Aviation is a Japanese low-cost carrier that operates daily flights from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 2:15am (SG time) and arrives at Osaka's Kansai International Airport at 9:35am (Japan time).

Top photos from Peach Aviation/Facebook