Two foreign pilots of Vietjet Air have expressed their gratitude to Vietnamese authorities after being cleared of drug smuggling.

Vietjet Air this morning, August 23, sent out official information about the case in which their pilot was detained by customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport on August 18 for suspicions of carrying drugs in his luggage.

Pilot Elmer Ederadan Sorrera (right) smiled after being cleared of drug smuggling on August 18.

An airlines representative said pilot Elmer Ederadan Sorrera, of Filippino nationality was suspected of carrying drug in his hand luggage. Elmer Ederadan Sorrera was travelling with another Vietjet Air's pilot, Francis Dennis Abellera Yutangco of US nationality on a Cebu Pacific Air flight to the Filipino capital of Manila. The two pilots were on their way to spend their holiday in the Philippines.

Customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport detained Elmer Ederadan Sorrera and transferred to the police for further investigation. However, he was then released soon after a quick test proved that the substance found in his luggage was plastic powder but not drugs. The two pilots then got on the flight to the Philippines.

"The pilots co-operated with local authorities during the investigations," the representative said. "They had also sent their gratitude to Vietnamese authorities for their quick work."

Vietjet also said that several newspapers have run false coverage about the case, which caused serious misunderstandings. They have asked these newspapers to correct their inaccurate and sensationalist reporting.