Search Operation for MH370 May Be Reconsidered - Malaysian Minister

The flight MH370, which had 239 people on board, disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The search operation for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared a year ago in the Indian Ocean, will be reconsidered if the wreckage would not be found until June, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told Sky News on Saturday.

Investigators believe the plane was flown thousands of miles off course before eventually crashing into the ocean off the Australian coast.

“Beyond May, if we have completed the 60,000 square kilometres [23 square miles], if we still cannot find the plane, then we have to go back to the drawing board,” the minister said.

International search team coordinated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is focused on a 60,000-square-kilometer priority zone. Despite an extensive search no trace of wreckage has been found.

Earlier this week, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia announced the trial of a new method of tracking long-haul flights, which is expected to help spot the missing Malaysian plane.

On Saturday, Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation is expected to release an interim report into what happened to flight MH370.