Japan Airlines flew four domestic flights without required checks and engaged in other irregularities regarding maintenance work, the transport ministry said Friday as it slapped the airline's unit with a business improvement order over the incidents.
While the improper maintenance did not directly impact actual services, the ministry determined that the case involving JAL Engineering constituted a serious violation that jeopardized airline safety.
"We take the ministry's order seriously and will do our utmost to regain our customers' trust," Takeshi Shimizu, a managing board director at JAL Engineering, told a news conference.
According to the company and the ministry, a JAL aircraft left Haneda Airport in Tokyo in September even though a person in charge had not confirmed the maintenance work record or conducted an inspection of the exterior of the plane.
The company was aware of the lack of final checks, as the person in charge reported it. However, no measures were immediately taken to address the situation, allowing the aircraft to be used for a total of four flights between Haneda and Kumamoto airports, as well as Haneda and Takamatsu airports.
Division employees believed there would be no problem if the maintenance work were performed later, so they deleted the records from the internal system.
JAL Engineering was also found to have not been using a specific tool required for brake replacement work.
In issuing the business improvement order, the transport ministry said that JAL Engineering lacks awareness of prioritizing safety in its services.