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A Jetstar pilot has been stood down after border authorities allegedly detected traces of drugs on his luggage and found drug-related content on his phone after a flight from Bali to Melbourne last week.
The first officer was suspended, despite no actual drugs being found on him or his belongings, under a zero-tolerance policy enforced by the aviation industry due to the serious safety risks associated with air travel.
A Jetstar pilot has been suspended after traces of drugs were allegedly found on his luggage at Melbourne Airport.Credit: Jason South
Trace amounts of drugs were found on the pilot’s luggage during a random search of arriving airline staff at Melbourne Airport by the Australian Border Force (ABF) officers.
The incident was reported to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
An AFP spokesperson said the agency investigated a report relating to alleged drug possession at Melbourne Airport in May.
“No criminal offences were identified and the AFP considers the matter closed,” the spokesperson said.
But a source familiar with the incident, who cannot be identified as they are not approved to discuss security operations, said a search of the pilot’s phone had also discovered drug-related material. It is unclear what the exact content was.
An ABF spokesperson referred questions to Jetstar. The airline declined to comment for privacy reasons.
“We have zero-tolerance towards pilots operating under the influence of alcohol or other drugs and always undertake testing in accordance with aviation regulations,” a Jetstar spokesperson said.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said it does not comment on allegations or individual cases involving possible breaches of safety rules.
“Regulations prohibit the use of drugs or alcohol by people carrying out (or available to carry out) safety-sensitive aviation activities,” it said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommended that aviation personnel be subjected to random drug and alcohol testing after a report into a small aircraft crash in 2002 that killed six people on Queensland’s Hamilton Island found a pilot’s alcohol and drug use may have contributed to the crash.
The 2004 report found the pilot had consumed alcohol and paracetamol the evening before the crash and still had cannabis in his system.
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