MH370 search cannot last forever, may be called off within weeks, says Australia’s deputy PM

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 cannot go on forever, Australia’s deputy prime minister said, and discussions are already under way between Australia, China and Malaysia as to whether to call off the hunt within weeks.

No trace has been found of the Boeing 777 aircraft, which disappeared a year ago this week carrying 239 passengers and crew, in what has become one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

MH370 vanished from radar screens shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing, early on March 8. Investigators believe it was flown thousands of kilometres off course before eventually crashing into the Indian Ocean.

The search of a rugged 60,000 sq km patch of sea floor some 1,600 km west of the Australian city of Perth, which experts believe is the plane’s most likely resting place, will likely be finished by May.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said that a decision would have to be taken well before then as to whether to continue into the vast 1.1 million sq km area around the primary search zone if nothing has been found.

Discussions had already begun about what to do in that event, including the possibility that the search might be called off, said Truss, who is also transport minister.