On the morning of May 24, 2024, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) launched an emergency audit at JAL’s facilities at Haneda Airport. The audit comes as a response to a recent series of incidents involving the airline.
In the morning, MLIT officials visited JAL Maintenance Center 1, home to the airline’s safety management and maintenance departments. In the afternoon, they are expected to audit the airline’s flight operations department, which pilots belong to. The audit includes interviews with the airline’s employees and review of documents to confirm progress with analyses and implementation of countermeasures related to the incidents.
Tetsuo Saito, Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said “We are taking JAL’s continued safety incidents seriously. The ministry will work toward restoring trust in [the safety of] aviation.” JAL’s spokesman said “The relevant departments within the company are dealing with the safety incidents. We will explain that to the authorities and address their questions and concerns.”
The most recent in JAL’s series of incidents involved a pair of the company’s A350s clipping wings on the ground at Tokyo Haneda Airport yesterday. On May 10, 2024, JAL flight 312 was involved in a near-runway-incursion when it crossed the stop line of a taxiway leading to Fukuoka Airport’s runway, forcing a J-Air Embraer E170 that was on the runway to abort its take-off.
Outside Japan, JAL’s aircraft were involved in runway incursions in San Diego and Seattle in February 2024 and November 2023 respectively.