Was a Lion Air pilot smoking crystal meth before takeoff? This is the latest concern for passengers taking a flight on an Indonesian airline. The arrest of a Lion Air pilot for possession of 0.4 grams of crystal methamphetamine over the weekend, the third such incident in the past seven months, has raised concern over just how widespread drug use is among Indonesian pilots. Arrested in a pre-dawn raid at a hotel in Surabaya, East Java, the pilot was scheduled to go on duty at 6am that same day.
Manotar Napitupulu, an adviser from the Indonesian Pilot Federation, said the booming industry is fuelling the growing use of narcotics among pilots.
''Pilots make big money,'' he said. ''The more they fly the more money they earn … The bigger the money the more expensive your lifestyle will be. Methamphetamine is not cheap, you know.''
Last month another Lion Air pilot was arrested with an undisclosed amount of crystal meth at a karaoke bar in South Sulawesi, while two more Lion Air co-pilots were arrested for possession of crystal meth and ecstasy in September.
It is now time for the Indonesian transport ministry to start random blood and urine tests on pilots.