Officials sound alarm over drunk pilots
Japan’s transport ministry is urging its domestic airlines to curb alcohol abuse by crews after a pilot was detained in London with a blood-alcohol reading that was more than 10 times the legal limit.
The JAL pilot was held by British police at Heathrow Airport just before boarding a flight after a test showed 0.93 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath, the Jiji news agency said.
The pilot had reportedly consumed two bottles of wine and roughly two litres of beer at a hotel the day before.
Regulators in Tokyo are now under pressure to ensure airlines comply with drinking rules after several similar cases involving Japanese airline pilots.
Such incidents “cause delays (to flights) and bother passengers,” a ministry official said.
Last month, a pilot with ANA Wings Co. called in sick after drinking beer and whisky at a restaurant the day before he was due to fly, leading to several flight delays.
In all, Japanese airlines reported 15 cases of flight delays traced to booze consumption by pilots in fiscal 2017, and six so far in fiscal 2018, the ministry said.
SCOTLAND Businesses urged to exploit Gaelic heritage
Scotland’s whiskies, tartans and bagpipes are national symbols known to any traveller, but not enough is being done to promote the country’s Gaelic heritage, tourism industry leaders say.
Now businesses are being urged to “exploit” the centuries-old language to put it on par with Scotland’s national icons as well as its food, drink, music and landscapes.
A five-year tourism strategy is aimed at embracing Gaelic as a “unique selling point” after surveys showed one in three tourists said their visits were enhanced by its overlooked history.
And one of the key messages for businesses is that Gaelic is “not based in myth” but is part of daily life, The Scotsman newspaper reported.
“One of the great jewels at the front of the crown is our Gaelic heritage,” VisitScotland chairman John Thurso said.
AVIATION Rapid growth sparks labour shortage fears
Bonuses of 5,000 euros ($7,500) were not enough to entice pilots to work on their days off as an Irish airline scrambles to staff cockpits amid rapid expansion.
Aer Lingus was also dangling an extra 10 days of holiday as it tried to avoid chaos on its transatlantic schedule, the Irish Independent reported.
Aviation sources quoted by the paper said Aer Lingus was forced to pay 80,000 euros ($120,000) to hire a Portuguese charter service on a recent Dublin-Boston flight after Airbus A330 captains refused the extra pay and vacation offer.
Transatlantic pilots are reportedly in a “high-stakes standoff ” with the booming airline over its alleged failure to hire enough pilots to keep up with rapid growth.
But a spokesman for Aer Lingus told the Independent that “there is no shortage of pilots” and an A330 captain’s hours this year will be lower than the industry average.