On June 28, 2024, the Osaka Regional Civil Aviation Bureau, a part of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) issued a business operations improvement recommendation and a warning to Oriental Air Bridge over a maintenance worker’s positive alcohol test in mid-May 2024.
The incident occurred on May 18, 2024, when a maintenance worker in his 50s working the day’s morning shift failed to take alcohol test as required at the beginning of the shift. Instead, the worker took an alcohol test, which was positive, one hour and 12 minutes into his shift.
By that time, the worked towed an aircraft, performed a pre-flight maintenance check, and performed repairs after which he discarded the relevant maintenance records and failed to perform required checks.
The incident led to the aircraft handled by the offending maintenance worker operating 30 flights without properly completed maintenance between May 18 and 22, 2024. That was followed by the grounding of the aircraft until June 3, 2024, to exchange components handled by the maintenance worker. The grounding did not have effect on the airline’s scheduled flights, which were operated using leased aircraft.
In response to the incident, Oriental Air Bridge suspended the offending worker and other maintenance staff working the same morning shift, ensured the involved aircraft was safe to fly, reported about the incident to the Osaka Regional Civil Aviation Bureau, and devised and implemented measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.
