PUTRAJAYA: The search for Malaysia Airlines MH370 wil be suspended indefinitely upon completion of the 120,000 sq km search area in the southern Indian Ocean.
The top level tripartite ministerial meeting involving officials from Malaysia, China and Australia has decided to suspend the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 upon completion of the 120,000 sqkm search area in the southern Indian Ocean.
Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the ministers involved in the tripartite meeting, comprising officials from Malaysia, China and Australia, have agreed on the suspension in the absence of credible evidence leading to identification of a specific location of the aircraft.
In a joint statement with China Transport Minister Yang Chuantang and Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester, Liow said the meeting was held to discuss arrangements in the event MH370 isn’t located.
“The suspension does not mean termination of the search...should credible new information emerge, which can be used to identify the specific location of the aircraft, consideration will be given on the next steps.
“With less than 10,000 sq km of the high priority area remaining to be searched, the ministers acknowledge that despite best efforts of all involved, the likelihood of finding the aircraft is fading.
“We also note that to date, none of the debris had provided information positively identifying the precise location of the aircraft,” he told a press conference today.
He said that search efforts and equipment have been hampered by recent poor weather and sea conditions. The remaining search period has been extended to either October or December.
Liow also said cost was not a factor behind the suspension of the search, and that it was predominantly due to lack of new evidence leading to the aircraft's location.
Asked if the flaperon found on the shore of La Reunion Island had any indication of controlled ditching, Liow said there has not been any evidence to substantiate the claim.
He also said Malaysia has yet to receive any information or retrieve the flaperon from the French government.
An official application via the Attorney-General’s Chambers has been made to the French government to retrieve information and the flaperon from La Reunion Island. However, progress has stalled due to judicial requirements.
“We made the application following the discovery last year but have yet to receive any feedback from the French government.
“We are confident that the search is carried out in the right area based on expert views and teams from various authorities.
“All debris including the flaperon found do not show the exact the location of the plane, but supported the drift modelling analysis,” he said.
It was reported that the Dutch company leading the underwater hunt for Flight MH370 claimed that the aircraft may have glided down rather than dive in its final moments.
Searchers led by engineering group Fugro have been combing an area roughly the size of Greece for two years.
Fugro project director Paul Kennedy reportedly said that he and his team had argued that a more likely option was the plane glided down- meaning it was manned at the end and made it beyond the area marked by satellite calculations.
So far, the search, has cost RM548 million — the most expensive in aviation history.
On July 29 last year, a flaperon was found on the shore of La Reunion Island, which was later confirmed to be part of the missing Boeing 777 aircraft.
Earlier this month, an aircraft debris found off the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar was handed over to the authorities for analysis to determine if it is from the missing flight.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board while en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
Its flight path is believed to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean.