MH370 final report will be issued next year — Liow

THE final report on the international investigation into the vanishing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, exactly three years ago yesterday, will be issued on Jan 17 next year.

That date is one year from the announcement of the suspension of the search operations on Jan 17 this year.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the final report would also include results of the investigation into the Air Traffic Controller and the Malaysian Defence Ministry.

“Based on the results of the investigation, the investigation team will submit a detailed report and recommendations to improve industrial safety of the national civil aviation to the stakeholders,” he said in a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

He was replying to a question by William Leong Jee Keen ( PKR- Selayang) who wanted to know the costs involved in the search for the missing jetliner and full report or data to be released to assist in calling off the search and the conditions required for the search to be resumed.

Liow said to date, Malaysia had spent a total of RM456 million in its search for the Boeing 777 aircraft.

He said in the ministerial tripartite meeting with Australia and China on July 22, last year, the three countries agreed to the suspension of the search for Flight MH370 after the initial search scouring an area of 120,000 sq km failed to locate the missing aircraft.

However, the search would be reactivated if new credible information and data emerged to determine the aircraft’s exact location.

Following the suspension of the search operation, the Department of Civil Aviation, on behalf of Malaysia, would continuously monitor new evidence related to Flight MH370, said Liow.

He said the investigation on the missing aircraft was conducted by the international investigation team based on rules established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO), which also consisted of accredited representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, France, Singapore and Indonesia.

“Investigations were carried out in a transparent and fair manner in accordance with Annex 13 ( Convention on International Civil Aviation, Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation) where all important information must be shared with accredited representatives.

Flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared from the radar while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Its final flight path was believed to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean. — Bernama