Malaysia Airlines to test pilots after drug arrest

Malaysia Airlines' parent company will introduce mandatory drug screening for all active pilots after one of its pilots was arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 70,000 ecstasy tablets.

Malaysia Aviation Group said on Friday that testing would begin with 1,260 pilots from the national carrier and be completed by August 15. Pilots who are not tested will not operate flights until they have been cleared, the company said.

The 39-year-old pilot was arrested last month at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport shortly after arriving from Kuala Lumpur. Indonesian customs officials said his urine test was positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.

Malaysia Aviation Group, which also owns budget airline Firefly, said the detained pilot was not operating the aircraft on the Kuala Lumpur flight, but was a cockpit observer who had been off duty for the two days before the incident. The company said the aircraft was flown safely by two qualified operating pilots.

The company said the new screening would add to its existing random testing programme. Group president and chief executive Captain Nasaruddin A. Bakar said operational safety and crew fitness for duty were "non-negotiable".

The detained pilot faces the death penalty if convicted in Indonesia.