Malaysia Airlines Orders Mandatory Drug Tests For All Pilots After Arrest Of Colleague

Malaysia Airlines’ parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group, has announced mandatory drug screening for all its active pilots after one of them tested positive for multiple narcotics and was arrested in Indonesia on allegations of drug smuggling.

Authorities at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport arrested the 39-year-old pilot last month, shortly after he arrived from Kuala Lumpur, for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 70,000 ecstasy tablets in his suitcase.

In a statement on Friday, Malaysia Aviation Group said it would conduct drug tests on “all active pilots, beyond industry practice.”

The group, which also owns budget airline Firefly, said the exercise would begin with 1,260 pilots from Malaysia Airlines, with the tests expected to be completed by August 15.

It said pilots who fail to undergo the screening would not be allowed to operate flights until they had been cleared.

The new measure will complement the aviation group’s existing random drug-testing programme.

The group’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar, said operational safety and crew fitness for duty were non-negotiable.

He said the company takes any breach of its safety standards seriously and had acted swiftly to strengthen mandatory drug screening across its active pilots.

The detained pilot is facing the death penalty if convicted under Indonesian law.

According to Indonesian customs officials, his urine test returned positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.

Malaysia Aviation Group, however, clarified that the pilot was not one of the crew members operating the aircraft from Kuala Lumpur on the day of his arrest.

The company said he was a cockpit observer who had been off duty for two days before the incident.

It added that the aircraft was operated safely throughout the journey by two qualified operating pilots.

The arrest and subsequent drug test results have prompted the airline group to expand its screening measures as part of efforts to maintain safety standards and ensure that all active pilots are fit to perform their duties.