Tiong cadang wajib kru kabin lapor diri awal sebelum bertugas

The Malaysian Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Tiong King Sing, has proposed that pilots and cabin crew report to their stations earlier for a pre-flight screening after an Indonesian drug smuggling case involving a Malaysian pilot. The incident has raised concerns about potential weaknesses in the entire aviation system.

The minister emphasized that this should not be seen as merely an issue involving a single individual, as it points towards potential vulnerabilities in the broader aviation system. Malaysia Aviation Group has instructed all 1,260 Malaysian pilots to undergo the drug screening process, following the positive drug test of the pilot in question.

It's important to note that the pilot involved in the drug case was not part of the crew controlling the flight on the day in question; instead, he was in the cockpit acting as an observer in a secondary seat. However, the minister stressed that the critical concern lies in the fact that the pilot was under the influence of drugs, and the current screening measures were deemed insufficient.

The main issue at hand, according to Tiong, is whether the existing system is capable of identifying risks before an incident occurs. Furthermore, he highlighted that aviation safety involves the lives of passengers and also impacts the confidence of international travelers in the country's aviation industry.

Previously, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Transportation had allowed a two-week window for the Home Ministry and Transportation Ministry to come up with a comprehensive plan to tighten safety measures at KLIA, following the pilot's alleged success in evading bag searches with 25kg of drugs on board.