KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) is investigating the reported detention of a Malaysian pilot in Indonesia from a regulatory perspective, including whether there were any lapses before the individual departed from Malaysia.
It is currently gathering the relevant facts regarding the reported incident involving the Malaysian pilot.
“The matter will be investigated from a regulatory perspective, including the airline’s compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and the airport operator’s security processes, to determine whether there were any lapses prior to the individual’s departure from Malaysia,” the CAAM told Bernama today.
As an immediate measure, it will strengthen oversight of existing regulatory requirements for baggage screening and security procedures, including those applicable to aircrew.
The CAAM's response follows reports that the 39-year-old Malaysian pilot was arrested on Wednesday (July 29) after allegedly attempting to smuggle about 25kg of ecstasy, valued at around 60 billion rupiah (RM13.58 million).
The Indonesian authorities said the drugs, comprising about 70,114 ecstasy pills and 4g gross of methamphetamine, were allegedly concealed in the suspect’s luggage and were discovered during an inspection at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
