---
title: Every Malaysia Airlines Pilot Must Take a Drug Test by 15 August
description: Malaysia Aviation Group has ordered every Malaysia Airlines pilot to complete a drug test by 15 August. Here is how US and EU rules compare.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-08-07T15:00:00.000Z
updated: 2026-08-07T16:35:36.212Z
canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/malaysia-airlines-mandatory-pilot-drug-screening
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-close-up-view-of-two-pilots-managing-the-cockpit-controls-of-14186727.jpg
categories: Smart Travel
content_type: News
region: Malaysia
publication: Rich Travel Magazine
access: members
schema_type: Article
---

All 1,260 Malaysia Airlines pilots have to complete a drug test by 15 August, and any who have not been cleared by that date will not be allowed to operate a flight. Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the group that owns the airline, ordered the screening on 6 August, days after one of its officers was detained at Jakarta airport with 26kg of MDMA in his luggage.

The first phase started immediately and covers Malaysia Airlines alone. MAG also operates the short haul carrier Firefly and the Haj pilgrimage airline Amal, and it says the mandatory screening will be extended to all active pilots and cabin crew. It will sit alongside the random testing programme the group already runs.

## Pilots Who Miss the Date Will Not Fly

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