The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released the final report, summing up the already concluded search of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished in 2014 on its way from Malaysia to China. The authority states that “the understanding of where MH370 may be located is better now than it has ever been”, as the government of Malaysia continues the search.
“The reasons for the loss of MH370 cannot be established with certainty until the aircraft is found,” a statement by the Australian authority claims. “It is almost inconceivable and certainly societally unacceptable in the modern aviation era with 10 million passengers boarding commercial aircraft every day, for a large commercial aircraft to be missing and for the world not to know with certainty what became of the aircraft and those on board”.
The ATSB, which seized its search of MH370 in January 2017, states “our deepest sympathies to the families of the passengers and crew on board MH370. We share your profound and prolonged grief, and deeply regret that we have not been able to locate the aircraft, nor those 239 souls on board that remain missing” in the final report.
The Australian authority body claims that it the possible location of the missing MH370 is now identified to be within an area of less than 25,000 square kilometres. Despite Australia’s withdrawal from the search party, the Malaysian government is continuing the effort, as “their investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the loss of MH370 aircraft consistent with their obligations as a member State of ICAO”, according to ATSB.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared from radars on March 8, 2014, less than an hour after takeoff. There were 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board the Boeing 777 aircraft. So far, several pieces of debris suspected to come from the aircraft have been found at different locations, including in Mozambique, South Africa and the French island of Reunion.
Australia commenced the search for it since March 8, 2014 until January 17, 2017 – a total of 1,046 days. It is estimated that the search for the missing plane lasted for 3 years and cost at least $160 million for Australian, Malaysian and Chinese governments.
Source – AeroTime
