Malaysia says to review all data to pinpoint missing MH370 flight’s location

Monday, 19 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: Malaysia, China and Australia have agreed to re-examine all data related to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 to better pinpoint the search area, Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister said on, as the hunt for the jet enters a new phase. The three countries also agreed at a meeting in Canberra last week to undertake a survey to map the ocean floor and procure more deep-sea search vehicles and other equipment to scour it, minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. “I have briefed the Malaysia cabinet on the outcome of the meeting and it has been deliberated. I now have the mandate to announce that the details of the transition phase have been approved by the Malaysian government,” he said.

The Boeing 777 with 239 passengers and crew disappeared on 8 March during a scheduled service between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, and is believed to have gone down in the Indian Ocean, off Western Australia. About two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese nationals. Australia would have responsibility for procuring new search assets from commercial contractors, Hishammuddin said, while Malaysia and China would assign additional equipment and services for the search. Hishammuddin said he would discuss the possibility of more US technical help with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel at a summit in Singapore later this month. Hishammuddin said it was vital to carry out the undersea bathymetric survey to map the new search area so that the expensive and scarce deep-sea autonomous vehicles and towed sonar scanners could be deployed safely. “It is important the bathymetric survey and deep water search needs to be seamless,” said Hishammuddin, who is also Defence Minister. Based on groundbreaking analysis of satellite “pings” sent from the aircraft before it presumably crashed, searchers believed they knew the approximate position of wreckage of the plane some 1,550 km (960 miles) northwest of Perth. The search was further narrowed on the basis of acoustic signals believed to have come from the aircraft’s black box recorders before their batteries ran out. A massive search operation involving satellites, aircraft, ships and sophisticated underwater equipment capable of scouring the ocean floor has failed to turn up any trace of the plane.

Inmarsat to provide free tracking service after missing MH370

REUTERS: Inmarsat, the firm whose satellites helped track the final route of missing Malaysian Airlines airliner MH370, confirmed that it would offer a free, basic tracking service to passenger airlines globally. The company said that the service would be offered to all 11,000 commercial passenger aircraft which are already equipped with Inmarsat satellite connection, comprising virtually 100% of the world’s long haul commercial fleet. “In the wake of the loss of MH370, we believe this is simply the right thing to do,” Chief Executive Rupert Pearce said. “This offer responsibly, quickly and at little or no cost to the industry, addresses in part the problem brought to light by the recent tragic events around MH370.” It said at its results last week that it would make available free data transfers for a position reporting service. The Malaysian Airlines jet lost contact with air traffic controllers on 8 March and data from Inmarsat’s satellite network was analysed to deduce the airliner’s flight path.