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Malaysia to tighten airport security after pilot drug arrest in Indonesia
The government said it will revise pilot and co-pilot background and health check protocols for Malaysia Airlines, after authorities said the pilot moved drugs through multiple security layers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Malaysian authorities said they will identify and close security loopholes at the country’s airports after a Malaysia Airlines pilot was arrested in Indonesia last week over alleged drug smuggling.
According to SCMP Economy, the pilot, aged 39, allegedly passed several layers of checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport before departing to Jakarta, where Indonesian authorities caught him with drugs in his luggage.
SCMP Economy also reported that Malaysia will revise Malaysia Airlines protocols for background and health checks for pilots and co-pilots, and will place police officers at certain checkpoints as part of the additional measures.
Malaysian police have identified an airport employee as a person of interest in investigating how the pilot passed security with drugs, while Indonesian authorities said the arrest involved more than 26 kg of ecstasy and a package of methamphetamine after the pilot landed in Jakarta.