Air search for MH370 abandoned as "new phase" begins
The focus of the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which disappeared 53 days ago has shifted beneath the sea, as Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed air efforts are being called off.
Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing was carrying 227 passengers, including six Australians, and 12 crew members when it disappeared on March 8.
Abbott described the search for any trace of the missing Boeing 777 aircraft as “probably the most difficult search in human history”.
The length of time that has elapsed since the aircraft is believed to come down over the southern Indian Ocean is such that any debris would have become water logged and sunk, he explained.
“I am now required to say to you that it is highly unlikely, at this stage, that we will find any aircraft debris on the ocean surface,” he said on Monday.
“Therefore, we are moving from the current phase to a phase which is focused on searching the ocean floor over a much larger area.”
The Bluefin-21 submersible that has been involved in the undersea search will continue in operation. However, the underwater efforts will be “intensified” with the use of different technology such as specialised side scan sonar equipment which can be towed behind ships to scan the seabed.
The work will be done under contract to the Australian Government which will continue to consult with the Malaysian Government on the search operation.
“We owe it to the families of all on board, we owe it to the wider travelling public to do everything we reasonably can to get to the bottom of this mystery,” Abbott said. “I want the families to know – I want the world to know – that Australia will not shirk its responsibilities in this area.”
Australia has led the search efforts for 41 of the 53 days during which time more than 4.5 million square kilometres of ocean has been searched and 334 search flights conducted.
“We expect that to do this job properly will cost in the order of $60 million,” Abbott said. But he confirmed that Australia will be seeking some “appropriate contribution” form other nations involved.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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