PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG) has begun mandatory drug screening for all 1,260 Malaysia Airlines pilots as part of tightened safety and fitness-for-duty measures.
This comes following the incident of one of its pilots being detained in Jakarta after drugs were found on him.
In a statement on Friday (Aug 7), the group said the first phase of screening is expected to be completed by Aug 15.
"MAG is strengthening its safety and fitness-for-duty framework with enhanced drug screening measures across its airlines.
"As an immediate step, the group has commenced mandatory drug screening for all Malaysia Airlines pilots and will conduct stricter screening for all active pilots, beyond industry practice.
"This swift response reflects the high level of concern with which MAG views the recent incident involving the detention of its pilot, as the Group maintains zero tolerance for any form of misconduct," it said.
MAG president and group chief executive officer Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar, said operational safety and crew fitness for duty are non-negotiable at MAG.
"We take any breach of our safety standards seriously and have acted swiftly to enhance mandatory drug screening across our active pilots.
"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."
According to the statement, pilots who do not complete the screening by the stipulated date will not operate flights until they have been cleared in accordance with MAG's procedures and regulatory requirements.
The group said it will also introduce mandatory drug screening for all active pilots across its airlines, in addition to its existing random testing programme.
The screening programme will later be expanded to active cabin crew.
MAG also said its existing fitness-for-duty measures include pre-employment screening, Class 1 medical certification for pilots, recurrent training, periodic alcohol and drug testing and mandatory pre-flight compliance checks.
"Before every flight, the set of operating pilots also complete the IMSAFER assessment to evaluate each other’s physical and mental readiness for duty.
This is complemented by Threat and Error Management (TEM) principles to identify and manage operational risks," it said.
A pilot self-assessment checklist used before flight to evaluate fitness for duty, IMSAFER stands for Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion and Recency.
MAG said it would continue working with aviation, enforcement and regulatory authorities to strengthen preventive measures and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
