TOKYO: Alcohol was detected in a female All Nippon Airways cabin crew member and she was replaced on a flight on Friday morning, the Japanese airline said Saturday.

The replacement of the flight attendant in her 20s caused delays of between 14 and 25 minutes for four domestic flights and affected a total of 1,391 passengers during the New Year holiday period, according to the core unit of ANA Holdings Inc. said.

The delayed flights were from Fukuoka Airport, in the southwestern city of Fukuoka, to Narita International Airport near Tokyo and Tokyo International Airport at Haneda.

A test on the flight attendant, conducted at Fukuoka Airport around 6:30 a.m. on Friday (9:30 p.m. Thursday GMT), showed 0.14 milligram of alcohol per litter of breath, ANA said. She drank "shochu" spirits at a restaurant in Fukuoka on Thursday night in violation of the airline's rules for crew members.

ANA said in a statement that it deeply apologizes for causing so much trouble and worry.

Jiji Press