Investigation Shifts on Malaysia Airlines MH370
KUALA LUMPUR – INTERNATIONAL – “These movements are consistent with deliberate action”. That is the latest word from the Prime Minister of Malaysia. “Communications systems were deliberately disabled”.
“Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path,” stated Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The Malaysia Prime Minister stated that the background of the pilots, entire crew and passenger list are now being investigated.
The latest is that the search area has now been greatly modified. The Boeing 777-220 flew on for almost seven hours after the last official radar contact.
The home of the Chief Pilot on the missing flight is now being investigated.
In a statement, Malaysia Airlines says, “Further to the statement by the Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak earlier today into the ongoing search for Flight MH370, Malaysia Airlines has shared all available information with the relevant authorities since the moment we learned that the aircraft had disappeared, in the early hours of Saturday 8th March. This includes the very first indications that MH370 may have remained airborne for several hours after contact was lost, which the Prime Minister referred to today”.
“This is truly an unprecedented situation, for Malaysia Airlines and for the entire aviation industry. There has never been a case in which information gleaned from satellite signals alone could potentially be used to identify the location of a missing commercial airliner. Given the nature of the situation and its extreme sensitivity, it was critical that the raw satellite signals were verified and analysed by the relevant authorities so that their significance could be properly understood. This naturally took some time, during which we were unable to publicly confirm their existence”.
“We were well aware of the ongoing media speculation during this period, and its effect on the families of those on board. Their anguish and distress increases with each passing day, with each fresh rumour, and with each false or misleading media report. Our absolute priority at all times has been to support the authorities leading the multinational search for MH370, so that we can finally provide the answers which the families and the wider community are waiting for”.
The investigation and search is continuing.
“We remain absolutely committed to sharing confirmed information with family members and the wider public in a fully open and transparent manner,” stated Malayasia Airlines. H”owever given the nature of the situation, the importance of validating new information before it is released into the public domain is paramount.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the 227 passengers and our 12 Malaysia Airlines colleagues and friends on board flight MH370. They will remain at the centre of every action we take as a company, as they have been since MH370 first disappeared”.
