Liow: Data to be further reviewed
‘Information on missing flight to examined again for greater transparency’
PETALING JAYA: Interim statement and factual information on the missing Flight MH370 will be further reviewed to pave the way for greater transparency, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The ministry, he said, was scrutinising the almost 600-page Factual Information accompanying the Interim Statement on MH370.
Issuing the order for an immediate review, Liow said it would take heed of the facts in the document.
“Appropriate measures will be undertaken once the necessary reviews have been completed,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
The interim statement was issued yesterday in conjunction with the first year anniversary of the MH370 that went missing on March 8 last year with 239 passengers and crew.
Liow said an independent 19-member team known as “The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370” had prepared the Interim Statement and Factual Information.
The Malaysian government, he said, had set up the team comprising aviation experts from all over the world in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
Led by former Civil Aviation Department director-general Datuk Kok Soo Chon, Liow said the investigation team comprised accredited representatives from seven international Air Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations – from Australia, China, France, Indonesia, Singapore, Britain and the United States.
The Interim Statement, he said, was released in accordance with Chapter 6, Paragraph 6 of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation on Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation.
This, he said, stated that if a final report could not be released within 12 months, the state carrying out the investigation should release an interim statement on each anniversary of the incident, detailing the progress of the investigation and any safety issues raised.
The investigation team, he said, was now carrying out an analysis on airworthiness, maintenance, and aircraft systems; ATC (Air Traffic Control) operations; cargo consignment; crew profile; diversion from filed flight plan route; organisational and management information of DCA and Malaysia Airlines; and satellite communications (SATCOM).
“Moving forward, this international independent safety investigation team will analyse the factual information and draw conclusions and safety recommendations,” Liow said.
He also expressed gratitude to the international independent safety investigation team for their efforts to date.
“As we mark the first anniversary of MH370, my heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those on board. Malaysia, together with the international community, stands in solidarity with the next of kin during these trying times,” he said.