On
the heels of the arrests of pilots using crystal methamphetamine, airlines
operating in Indonesia boosted their commitment to preventing air crews from
consuming drugs and alcohol for the sake of flight safety.
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia said it
applied lower working hour requirements than those stipulated in governmental
regulations to keep its pilots fit and healthy.
“The official regulation states a maximum of
nine hours of work per day for pilots. We apply a maximum of eight hours of
work per day,” said Garuda spokesman Pujobroto.
He added that the airline also provided
12–hour rest intervals for pilots before they flew, which was longer than the
regulated nine-hour period.
He said that the airline had carried out
regular random drug and alcohol checks on its pilots and crews for the last
seven years.
“We randomly check all crew members, including
ground crew, on a regular basis. [The checks] could be in Jakarta or in Denpasar,
either before departing or after landing,” Pujobroto said, adding that the
airline had never found its pilots or crews using drugs or alcohol during the
checks.
The checks were also in accordance with
international regulations demanded by countries serviced by Garuda.
Meanwhile, private airline Sriwijaya Air’s
corporate communications senior manager, Agus Soedjono, said the airline had
limited air crew work hours to guarantee the physical condition of its crews.
The airline would also conduct random checks
on all of its crew members in addition to six-monthly health checks.
“Should we find crews using drugs, we will
impose the maximum sanction of dismissal on them. We will never compromise
[flight] safety,” he said.
Agus said that the airline would cooperate
with relevant agencies to conduct the checks, adding that the company would not
raise ticket prices to cover extra costs.
Separately, low-cost carrier Air Asia
Indonesia’s communications manager Audrey Progastama said that the airline
would discharge crew who were caught using drugs.
Audrey said that the airline had been
consistently conducting random urine and health tests on its employees. “We are
consistent in doing that,” Audrey said.
A Lion Air pilot, Syaiful Salam, 44, was
arrested over the weekend in his hotel room in Surabaya, East Java, with 0.04
grams of crystal meth in his possession. He allegedly tested positive to the
drug in a urine test. The Transportation Ministry has revoked Syaiful’s pilot’s
license.
In cooperation with the ministry, the National
Narcotics Agency (BNN) carried out impromptu urine tests on 102 Lion Air crew
at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Wednesday evening. The results
indicated that none had consumed illegal substances.
Such tests are to be regularly conducted by
the ministry, the BNN and airline operators at all airports across the country.
“We will continue to conduct random urine
tests on the crew of all airlines operating in the country,” BNN spokesman
Dwiyanto Soemirat said. He added that the test results would be reported to the
ministry’s air transportation director general and the airlines.
Sita W. Dewi and Multa Fidrus
The Jakarta Post
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