The carrier’s parent group has ordered mandatory screening for every pilot with cabin crew to follow after a crew member was detained in Indonesia.
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent of Malaysia Airlines, has ordered mandatory drug screening for all 1,260 of its pilots following the arrest of a crew member in Indonesia.
The move comes after a 39-year-old Second Officer was detained on arrival in Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur on 28 July, with authorities alleging that 26kg of MDMA was found in the officer’s luggage. Notably, the officer was travelling off-duty as an observer on the jump seat and was not operating the aircraft, which was crewed by two other qualified pilots.
MAG says the screening of all pilots is to be completed by 15 August, and any pilot who has not been tested by that date will be grounded until they are. The mandatory checks will then be extended to cabin crew. The group stressed that existing safeguards already include pre-employment checks, medical certification, random testing and pre-flight self-assessments covering factors such as fatigue, illness, medication and stress.
“While this isolated incident does not reflect the professionalism of the overwhelming majority of our employees, we will continue strengthening our safeguards to maintain the confidence of our passengers and stakeholders.” — Capt. Nasaruddin A. Bakar, President & Group CEO, MAG
For travellers, the airline’s message is one of reassurance: a swift, visible tightening of an already-regulated safety regime in response to a single, isolated case.
