Two former Japan Airlines pilots were suspended from flying by the transport ministry on Tuesday for excessive drinking before a flight and lying to their former employer.

The ministry said the two former captains "drank alcohol in excess of the limit, although they were aware of the rules" that limit the amount of alcohol consumed 12 hours before a scheduled flight.

The men both "gave false explanations to the company after arrival and attempted to cover up the excessive drinking", the ministry said, giving them suspensions of up to seven months.

The pair were fired by Japan Airlines (JAL) after a flight from Melbourne to Tokyo in December was delayed for three hours because alcohol exceeding the allowed limit was detected in their systems.

JAL said last month its two most senior executives would take a 30% pay cut for two months over the incident.

The transport ministry instructed JAL last year to take preventive measures after a flight from Dallas to Tokyo was cancelled because a pilot had created a disturbance after getting drunk at a hotel.

Japan introduced new regulations in 2019 to clamp down on alcohol consumption by pilots after several incidents hit the headlines.

All Nippon Airways delayed a domestic flight that year after a co-pilot failed an alcohol breath test.

In 2018, a JAL co-pilot was arrested in Britain shortly before a flight for being almost 10 times over the legal blood alcohol limit.