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Lion Air pilots grounded for getting high
The Transportation Ministry says it has penalized pilots and crew members of budget carrier Lion Air who were arrested for drug possession in recent months
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he Transportation Ministry says it has penalized pilots and crew members of budget carrier Lion Air who were arrested for drug possession in recent months.
“We have given warnings to the airline and revoked licences for the pilots and crew members,” the ministry’s air transportation director general Herry Bhakti Gumay told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Grounded: Lion Air ground crew members prepare the runway for oneof the national budget carrier’s fl ights. The Transportation Ministrysuspended licences of Lion Air pilots and crew members who were arrestedfor drug possession. JP/Nurhayati
Last week, a Lion Air pilot, identified as A was caught with crystal methamphetamine in his possession in a karaoke bar in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Late last year, another Lion Air pilot Muhammad Nasri and two co-pilots were arrested at a drug party in Tangerang, Banten.
In a court hearing in Tangerang, Nasri admitted he was a long-time drug user. He was later sentence to five years in prison.
Earlier last year, a cabin crew member, identified as W was also arrested by the Jakarta Police for illegal possession of crystal meth in her rented room in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
Herry said that the Transportation Ministry, as the regulator, has been strict in implementing regulations that require pilots and flight attendants to have their health examined once every six months as part of the process to extend licences for pilots.
“This regulation is drafted so that pilots and crews can always stay fit because airline’s safety comes first,” he said.
Herry said that licences for pilots and crew members with drug problems would be suspended until a verdict is delivered.
No renewal would be given if the pilots and flight attendants are found guilty by the court.
Lion Air’s general affairs director Edward Sirait said that the airline has intensified its effort to keep pilots and crew members off drugs.
“In our contract we sign with them, we clearly set out that once we find them using drugs, their contract will be terminated,” Edward told the Post.
He also said that Lion Air was fully committed to stamping out the use of drugs among its pilots and cabin crews.
Contacted separately, professor of aviation law from Tarumanegara University Kemis Martono said that drug use among pilots of commercial airlines was a serious issue in the country’s booming aviation industry.
“This is a very serious problem because these cases show that both the airline and its pilots fail to abide by regulations and this can put people’s lives in jeopardy,” Kemis told the Post.
Based on the Law no. 1/2009 on aviation, the government must revoke the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) if pilots under the influence harm passengers.
“That is the ultimate penalty for airlines that violate safety regulations,” he added.
Kemis also said that condition could get worse for the industry as operators now struggle with a shortage of pilots due to a limited number of aviation schools.
He said that the country needs up to 600 extra pilots a year, two times higher than the total number of pilots graduating from the country’s eight aviation schools. (nfo)
