Ramping up safeguards: Airlines are committed to stemming the tide in wildlife trafficking. The Sunda pangolin is among the animals that are in need of protection.
KUALA LUMPUR: The aviation sector is prepared to do its part to stem the illicit trade of wildlife smuggling out of Malaysian airports, say several local captains of the industry.
According to Malaysia Aviation Group’s (MAG) group managing director, Datuk Capt Izham Ismail, its personnel are trained to handle cases of wildlife trafficking.
He added that MAG itself also has a stringent anti-wildlife trafficking policy in place.
“Wildlife trafficking is a very unacceptable issue,” he told a press conference here yesterday after unveiling MAG’s route expansion plans.
In acknowledging the prevalence of wildlife smuggling via aircraft in recent years, Capt Izham said he has also held recent conversations with ministers like Anthony Loke (Transport) and Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani (Plantation and Commodities and acting Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability) to relay MAG’s concerns.
He added that it is equally critical for airports to be equipped with the right scanning tools to curtail such smuggling, other than concerted response from all stakeholders.
“There must be a unified effort, not just by Malaysia Airlines or MAG alone. It must be a joint effort by the whole country to curtail wildlife trafficking.”
On this, Bo Lingam, AirAsia Aviation Group’s group CEO, said AirAsia supports initiatives aimed at curbing wildlife smuggling, which he described as a “complex and evolving matter”.
“We implement measures to safeguard against such activities, with our crew and ground staff undergoing consistent training to stay alert and vigilant.
“Within the ecosystem, the screening of passengers and baggage is undertaken by (Malaysia Airport’s) Aviation Security and airport authorities, an area beyond the direct control of airlines.
“We comply with all regulatory requirements and cooperate with the authorities as needed, but the continued occurrence of such cases shows that the problem has to be tackled holistically.
“This calls for contemporary systems and tools, rigorous and collaborative intelligence gathering, and strengthened collaboration among all stakeholders,” he said in a statement yesterday, where he affirmed AirAsia’s commitment to work closely with related agencies to stem the tide.
“In addition, it is also crucial that strong enforcement and firm legal action are taken against smugglers.”
Echoing similar sentiments for collective effort to tackle the problem, Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO of Batik Air Malaysia, said wildlife smuggling is something that no airline wants to be associated with.
“This is an unfortunate event that no airline would want to encounter as it disposes safety risks to our passengers, crew and aircraft. While we may have been the carrier, the baggage check-in process and security screening are not within our authority.
“We sincerely hope significant preventive measures can be in place to avoid incidents like these in future,” he said in a statement in response to a directive from India’s aviation regulator that places a greater burden on airlines flying into India found carrying “undocumented animals”.
The Star reported on Friday that airlines are now required to repatriate such animals from India at their own cost, in an apparent response to the prevalence of wildlife smuggling into India, especially from South-East Asia.
In a circular issued on July 23, India’s Civil Aviation director-general Faez Ahmed Kidwai said the Office Guidelines for Deportation of Live Animals Detected as Unbeknownst Imports circular applies to all operators and airlines operating in India, following “multiple instances of live animals being brought into India by passengers without proper declaration or clearance”.
