Aviation
Black box detector join search for missing Malaysian jet
LONDON – A warship with an aircraft black box detector was set to depart Australia on Sunday to join the search for the missing Malaysian jetliner, a day after ships plucked objects from the Indian Ocean to determine whether they were related to the missing plane. None were confirmed to be from the plane, leaving searchers with no sign of the jet more than three weeks after it disappeared.
Twenty-nine Chinese family members, seeking answers from Malaysia’s government as to what happened to their loved ones, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, said Malaysia Airlines commercial director Hugh Dunleavy. Two-thirds of the 227 passengers aboard Flight 370 were Chinese, and their relatives have expressed deep frustration with Malaysian authorities since the plane went missing.
It will still take three-to-four days for the Australian Navy ship, the Ocean Shield, to reach the search zone an area roughly the size of Poland about 1,850 kilometres (1,150 miles) to the west of Australia.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which oversees the search, said the ship will be equipped with a black box detector the U.S. Navy’s Towed Pinger Locator and an unmanned underwater vehicle, as well as other acoustic detection equipment.
Ships from China and Australia on Saturday scooped up items described only as “objects from the ocean”, but none were “confirmed to be related” to Flight 370, AMSA said.
A Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 plane spotted three floating objects, including two bearing colours of the missing jet, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said, a day after several planes and ships combing the newly targeted area, which is closer to Australia than a previous search zone, saw several other objects.
The three objects spotted by the Chinese plane were white, red and orange, the Xinhua report said. The missing Boeing 777’s exterior was red, white, blue and gray.
Investigators have been puzzled over what happened to Flight 370, which disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with speculation ranging from equipment failure and a botched hijacking to terrorism or an act by one of the pilots.
The latter was fuelled by reports that the pilot’s home flight simulator had files deleted from it, but Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said checks, including one by the FBI, had turned up no new information.
“What I know is that there is nothing sinister from the simulators, but of course that will have to be confirmed by the chief of police,” Mr. Hussein said.
In Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that former Australian defence chief, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, will lead a new centre in Perth to coordinate the international search effort.
The Joint Agency Coordination Centre will work with key Australian government, state and international members, and provide a single contact point for families, including travel assistance and visa services, accommodation, interpreter services and counselling.
Newly analyzed satellite data shifted the search zone on Friday, raising expectations that searchers may be closer to getting physical evidence that the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean.
That would narrow the hunt for the wreckage and the plane’s black boxes, which should contain clues to what caused the plane to be so far off-course.
The change came after analysts determined that the Boeing 777 may have been travelling faster than earlier estimates and would therefore have run out of fuel sooner.
The new search area is closer to Perth than the previous one, with a flying time of 2-1/2 hours each way, allowing for five hours of search.
AMSA said 10 planes will join the search on Sunday. The first aircraft to leave the Perth air force base, a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76, was already over the area.
The Australian Navy supply ship HMAS Success, which is to store any wreckage found, and three Chinese ships reached the search area on Saturday. Six more ships will arrive on Sunday, AMSA said.
The ships are trying to locate and identify the objects sighted by aircraft over the past two days.
There were light showers and low cloud in the area, but not enough to disrupt the search, AMSA said.
Dunleavy, the Malaysia Airlines’ director, said in Beijing the Chinese relatives flew to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning.
Steve Wang, a representative of some of the Chinese families in Beijing, said the relatives are demanding more answers because they were not satisfied by the responses Malaysian government representatives gave them in China.
“We have demanded that we meet with the prime minister and the transportation minister,” said Wang Chunjiang, whose younger brother, Wang Chunyong, was on Flight 370. “We have questions that we would like to ask them in person.”
If investigators can determine that the plane went down in the newly targeted search zone, recovery of its flight data and cockpit voice recorders could be complicated.
Much of the sea floor in the area is about 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) below the surface, but depths may reach up to 6,000 metres.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced stringent measures against pilots and crew members who work for multiple airlines concurrently, a practice it describes as a serious safety violation.
In a letter dated November 6, 2024, Acting Director-General, Chris Nojomo warned that pilots operating for more than one airline without specific safety protocols pose significant risks to Nigeria’s aviation sector.
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The directive, titled “Prohibition of Ad-Hoc Flight Operators for Multiple Airlines,” noted that NCAA surveillance reports revealed multiple cases of unauthorized cross-airline work by flight crews, which the agency now plans to address.
According to the NCAA, simulator and proficiency checks endorsed on a pilot’s license are valid only for the specific airline and training program under which they were issued.
The letter stated, “With effect from the date of issuance of this directive, all operators and holders of pilot licenses are informed that this action will be treated as a violation of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.”
The NCAA’s new policy, effective November 11, 2024, warns that violators will face strict enforcement actions. Moving forward, simulator renewals will also be filed directly with individual operators, further tightening the agency’s oversight.
In a bold step to strengthen Akwa Ibom’s position in Nigeria’s aviation industry, Governor Umo Eno announced the addition of two new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft to the fleet of the state-owned airline, Ibom Air, on Friday.
The two aircraft, registered as 5N-CED and 5N-CEE, mark a milestone in the state’s commitment to strategic investment, with the governor stressing that the acquisitions were fully funded by state resources without loans from financial institutions.
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At a welcoming ceremony attended by local officials and residents, Governor Eno emphasized his administration’s mission to drive revenue-generating ventures for Akwa Ibom rather than relying on debt.
He called the move a step toward breaking the cycle of government investments that only serve to pay off loans, vowing that the state’s funds would go towards projects that bring returns to the people.
The governor challenged Ibom Air to turn a profit by 2025, stating that the airline’s management should ensure routes in and out of Uyo remain dependable to prioritize the needs of Akwa Ibom travelers.
“As long as I remain governor, we will continue to use state funds for the benefit of all, not for private gain,” he said, noting that his administration aims to ensure that public investments deliver real value to the state.
Governor Eno also provided updates on several ambitious state projects, including an 18-story commercial complex underway in Lagos and an upcoming 4-star hotel in Abuja, both designed to generate revenue for Akwa Ibom.
Plans for an international market in Ikot Ekpene and the phased opening of a new terminal at the Victor Attah International Airport were also announced, with the airport terminal set for partial operation by December and full activation in early 2025.
Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, commended Eno’s financial management, highlighting that the administration has avoided seeking loans over the past 18 months despite launching significant development projects.
Ibom Air’s Chairman, Pastor Imoabasi Jacob, expressed appreciation for the state’s investment in the airline, which has seen its fleet grow to nine aircraft.
Jacob credited the governor’s support with enabling Ibom Air to boost flight capacity, meeting demand on popular routes such as Uyo-Lagos-Abuja.
Captain Mfon Udom, CEO of Ibom Air, stated that the expanded fleet will improve efficiency and allow the airline to scale up its operations in time for the Christmas travel season.
Udom also noted that the airline anticipates the delivery of nine additional Airbus planes, which will further strengthen Ibom Air’s market presence.
Traditional leaders, including HRM Edidem Ita Edet Okokon III of Okobo Local Government Area, lauded the governor’s leadership, pledging continued support from the traditional institutions.
Anie Essienette, Group Manager for Marketing and Communications at Ibom Air, noted that demand for the airline’s services has surged nationwide, with the new CRJ900 aircraft helping meet this increasing need while the airline awaits further fleet expansion.
Nigeria’s Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo is of the view that there’s no cause for alarm over the approval of a private airstrip for a religious organisation, which attracted the attention of the House of Representatives.
He took to his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Friday morning to shed light on the subject, and explained that it could be a great source of revenue for Federal Government.
Keyamo asserted that the issue was raised by an honourable member at plenary, out of ignorance, but was “unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee to look into.”
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Keyamo expressed confidence that by the time his Ministry was done enlightening them, “they will be satisfied”.
He added that “the privates air strip owners pay the Federal Government handsomely for these services.”
Keyamo wrote, “I think this is not correct. The House of Reps. as a body did not call on the Minister to revoke the license of any private airstrip.
“I think what happened is that someone moved a motion in that regard and it was unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee to look into it.
“Whilst the intention of the Hon. Member who moved it is very patriotic, it was based on a complete lack of knowledge of the aviation sector.
“By the time we explain to them how private air strips work and the processes they undergo by our agencies before the final approval, they will be satisfied.
“The responsibility of the owners of private air strips is just to build the runway and terminal building. But after they build the control tower in particular, it is completely handed over to the Federal Government through NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) which is in complete control of the entire airspace in Nigeria. An MOU is usually signed with NAMA in this regard before the airstrip is approved for operations.
“It is NAMA that provides the Air Traffic Controllers and Engineers in ALL AIRPORTS and AIRSTRIPS IN NIGERIA. And the privates air strip owners pay the Federal Government handsomely for these services.
“No object flies into Nigeria without the prior clearance by NAMA and without filing a clear flight plan, eg, where it is taking off from and where it intends to land.
“And I have recently directed that all aircraft coming into the country MUST first land at our international airports where they would be properly processed and checked before they make their local flights into whatever airport or airstrip they intend to go. So, it is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY impossible for any private airstrip owner to just jump on an aircraft and fly in and out of the country through that facility. The Federal Government does not permit that. You will not be cleared for take off or landing without prior request and authorisation.
“I thank the Member for his patriotism, but I wish he contacted us first to explain to him before rushing to move such a motion.
“I attach herewith for public consumption the NAMA Act that gives exclusive control of the Nigerian airspace to the Federal Government through NAMA.”
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