IATA WELCOMES RESUMPTION OF MH370 SEARCH, SAYS IT IS CRITICAL TO FIND TRUTH

From Kisho Kumari Sucedaram

GENEVA, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed efforts to resume the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 later this month, saying the global aviation community remains determined to uncover the truth behind the aircraft’s disappearance.

IATA director-general Willie Walsh said determining the cause of the Boeing 777’s disappearance remains critical for global aviation safety, adding that any credible new data or technology that could aid the search should be utilised.

He said this when asked about US-based seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which is set to resume the search for the aircraft that vanished on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board.

“It is essential that we make whatever effort we can to discover the aircraft and to understand what actually happened,” he told Bernama at IATA’s Global Media Briefing at its headquarters here on Tuesday.

The disappearance of MH370, which was on a routine commercial flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Beijing, remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

Military radar later tracked the aircraft turning back across Peninsular Malaysia and towards the Andaman Sea before it disappeared from all surveillance, according to reports.

Walsh said the Geneva-based IATA, which represents airlines and sets global standards for safety, security, efficiency and sustainability, supports any renewed attempts by governments or technical teams to locate the missing Boeing 777.

Its final resting place has yet to be found.

“Everybody wants to see that aircraft found and everybody wants to be able to understand what actually happened,” he said.

Walsh said the association would welcome any effort that contributes to advancing the investigation, noting that the loss of MH370 continues to weigh heavily on families, the industry and the wider public.

“I am sure all of the families involved will welcome the resumption of the search for the aircraft, as everybody in the industry will, because we all want to know what happened,” he said.

Earlier this month, on December 3, Malaysia’s Transport Ministry announced that the deep-sea search for MH370 will resume on 30 December this year.

Ocean Infinity has confirmed to the Malaysian government that it will recommence seabed search operations for a total of 55 days, to be carried out intermittently.

Despite the largest and most expensive underwater search in aviation history, involving Australia, Malaysia and China, the wreckage was never found.

The original search covered 120,000 square kilometres of the southern Indian Ocean and was suspended in 2017 after two years.

Only scattered debris confirmed to be from MH370 has ever been recovered, found on islands in the western Indian Ocean after drifting on prevailing currents.

A search attempt earlier this year began in March but was suspended shortly afterwards due to poor weather.

According to news reports, the company expressed confidence that improved robotics and mapping technology, along with lessons from the earlier mission, give the new effort a stronger chance of success.

Ocean Infinity said its current fleet of robotic survey vessels is carbon neutral and significantly more efficient than traditional deep-sea platforms.

-- BERNAMA