Updated on Monday, June 29, 2009, 20:36 IST

Tokyo, June 29: Nearly 300 Japan Airlines passengers had to take other flights as JAL had to cancel a flight from Honolulu to Tokyo last week after a 53-year-old co-pilot was detained by police in Hawaii for urinating in a park, the airline said on Monday.

The cancellation of JAL Flight 75 that was scheduled to leave Honolulu on Thursday forced the 297 passengers to take other flights, according to JAL officials.

"We deeply apologise for causing inconvenience to passengers who planned to take the flight and to other people concerned," a JAL public relations official said.

The co-pilot drank a bottle of wine and five bottles of beer in Honolulu on Tuesday night before taking a walk and urinating in the park, Kyodo news agency quoted JAL officials as saying.

A police officer saw him urinating and took the copilot to a police station. He was detained for two nights before being released Thursday morning after paying a USD 25 fine for violating a State of Hawaii law.

The co-pilot was due to join a flight for Narita on Wednesday but JAL had to use another copilot instead, resulting in the cancellation of the flight on Thursday due to a lack of staff.

Bureau Report