Japan Airlines (JAL) is under pressure from the Japanese government following a spate of safety incidents that began in November 2023.
Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori was summoned to the Transport Ministry on May 27, 2025, for serious talks on the airline’s recent safety record, according to The Japan Times.
It is understood that the situation relates to five incidents including Japan Airlines Flight 516 on January 2, 2024, which saw a JAL Airbus A350-900 crash into Coast Guard plane shortly after landing at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND).
While the Coast Guard pilot managed to escape from the Dash 8, tragically all five other people on board were killed.
More recently on May 23, 2024, two JAL aircraft clipped wings at HND and on May 10, 2024, a Japan Airlines jet mistakenly entered the runway at Fukuoka Airport (FUK).
Japan Airlines has until June 11, 2024, to submit plans to the Transport Ministry on how it will rectify the situation.
Officials from the Transport Ministry visited Japan Airlines offices on May 24, 2024, to conduct an inspection.
“It cannot be said that the safety management system is functioning effectively throughout the company,” Shigenori Hiraoka, Director General of the Ministry’s Civil Aviation Bureau, said.
Mitsuko Tottori apologized for the incidents and said: “The biggest problem is that similar incidents have occurred consecutively despite past incidents. We want to take responsibility and take corrective actions.”
