The Consumers Association of Penang urges other airlines to adopt mandatory drug screening for pilots and cabin crew following Malaysia Airlines’ recent safety initiative.
PETALING JAYA: Other airlines should follow Malaysia Aviation Group’s (MAG) move to introduce mandatory drug screening for Malaysia Airlines pilots and extend the measure to their own pilots and cabin crew, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) urged.
CAP education officer N.V. Subbarow said drug screening should be treated as a basic safety measure in an industry in which the fitness of aviation personnel could directly affect passenger safety.
“There should be no compromise when it comes to the safety of air passengers.
“Passengers travelling on other airlines should also be afforded the same level of protection,” he told theSun.
He added that airlines should not wait for an incident to occur before strengthening safeguards for their personnel.
“Safety measures should be preventive, not reactive. Airlines should identify potential risks and address them before they become a threat to passengers.”
Subbarow said screening should cover pilots as well as cabin crew, given the latter’s responsibility for passenger safety during flights.
He added that a consistent approach across airlines was needed to give passengers confidence in the safety standards applied to aviation personnel.
MAG, the parent group of Malaysia Airlines and Firefly, announced on Aug 7 that it was strengthening its safety and fitness-for-duty framework.
The move followed the detention of a Malaysia Airlines second officer in Jakarta on July 28 in connection with an alleged drug trafficking case.
As an immediate measure, MAG commenced mandatory drug screening for all 1,260 Malaysia Airlines pilots, with the screening to be completed by Aug 15.
It said the measure would complement its existing random testing programme, describing the enhanced measures as going beyond industry practice.
It added that pilots who fail to complete the screening by the stipulated deadline would not be allowed to operate flights until they have been cleared in accordance with MAG’s procedures and regulatory requirements.
MAG also said its enhanced fitness-for-duty measures would be extended to active cabin crew.
The group added that its existing safeguards included preemployment screening, Class 1 medical certification, recurrent training, periodic alcohol and drug testing and pre-flight compliance checks.
It also said before every flight, operating pilots also conduct an ImSafer assessment covering illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, emotion and recency.
Subbarow said MAG’s decision to strengthen its existing safeguards showed that drug screening should be regarded as part of the aviation safety system rather than an isolated disciplinary measure.
