Tiong King Sing calls for mandatory airline crew drug screening

Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing has called for mandatory, stricter pre-duty drug screening for pilots and cabin crew following the arrest of a Malaysia Airlines second officer in Indonesia. The pilot was detained at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for allegedly smuggling 25kg of ecstasy and methamphetamine pills valued at approximately RM45 million.

Tiong urged airlines and regulatory authorities to implement screening protocols where crew members report for duty 1.5 to 2 hours before shifts to ensure they are cleared before flying. He criticized attempts to downplay the incident by emphasizing that the individual was not operating the aircraft on the day of the arrest, stating that the case