Flight attendant fails breathalyser test weeks after same airline's drunk pilot jailed

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A flight attendant for Japan Airlines failed a breathalyser test less than a month after one of their pilots was jailed for trying to fly a plane while nine-times over the alcohol limit.

Before boarding a flight from Narita airport in Tokyo to Honolulu a 46-year-old female member of the cabin crew was given a breathalyser and no alcohol was detected.

However two of her colleagues claimed to smell alcohol on her breath and insisted she was tested again.

The second test detected 0.15 milligrams of alcohol in her breath, exceeding the 0.10 milligram limit set by Japan Airlines for its pilots, according to the Japan Times.

The woman claimed she had not consumed any alcohol for three days and suggested the result may have been due to her using mouthwash.

Japan Airlines said it would investigate the matter but does not have any specific rules for flight attendants about alcohol consumption.

The news comes amid a series of controversies surrounding the conduct of Japan Airlines staff.

Pilots at the company have apparently failed breathalyser tests on 19 occasions since August 2017.

One of their pilots, Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was jailed for 10 months at Isleworth Crown Court, after he failed a breathalyser test 50 minutes before flight JL44 to Tokyo from London's Heathrow.

The legal alcohol limit for pilots is 20mg per 100ml of blood, while for drivers the limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood.

Jitsukawa's blood was found to have contained 189mg, nine times over Japan Airline's limit.

The airline said after the incident it planned to introduce breathalyser tests for all of its staff.