Aviation
Malaysian jet: Missing plane ended in Indian Ocean – Prime Minister
KUALA LUMPUR — Earlier today, Prime Minister Najib Razak said the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was lost in the southern Indian ocean.
He based this new conclusion on new analysis of satellite data based on briefings by Britain’s air accident investigations on data from Inmarsat the satellite company that had provided data that has led to a massive search for the aircraft. Analysis showed the Boeing BA +0.51% 777-200’s last position was in the Indian Ocean west of the Australian city of Perth. (Follow the latest developments on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.)”This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites,” Mr. Najib said. “It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
The latest calculations were based on a new analysis of the satellite-operator’s original data, relying on minute changes in the frequency of the electronic “pings”—or attempts to link up with satellites—received from the plane during its more than six-hour flight after dropping off radar, according to Tim Farrar, a satellite industry consultant.
Inmarsat was able to correlate two streams of data to form a more precise picture of where the Boeing 777 may have ended up, Mr. Farrar said. The initial data stream focused on the timing of the “pings” from the plane, he said, revealing distance from the satellite. The later stream focused on frequency changes involving the “Doppler effect,” he said, revealing the plane’s speed.
The Doppler effect has to do with changes in the frequency of a moving source of waves relative to an observer.
“It shows there is a lot more information hidden in what appears to be simple satellite data,” Mr. Farrar said. The latest analysis also indicated “there is a higher likelihood of the plane ending up in certain parts” of the southern arc.
A massive search has been under way. Civil and military aircraft from Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., China and Japan assisted in Monday’s search. The broader operation in the southern Indian Ocean has covered nearly 200,000 square miles (518,000 square kilometers) since it began March 17.
Mr. Najib said that a news conference would be held Tuesday. He didn’t take questions following his brief statement.
Mr. Najib said that Malaysia Airlines had spoken to the families of the 239 passengers and crew who were aboard the plane when in disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in the early hours of March 8.
“For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking,” Mr. Najib said. “I know this news must be harder still.”
Malaysia Airlines told the families of the passengers via text message that it “deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived.”Some family members have accused Malaysia of being slow to disclose information. The plane disappeared from radar an hour into its flight March 8 but data has indicated that it flew for several hours. The search zone has been widened and extended repeatedly until searches began to converge late last week on the southern Indian Ocean, a remote area.
Earlier Monday, the Australian Navy was investigating two objects spotted in the southern Indian Ocean, where Flight 370 was confirmed to have gone down based on the satellite data.
Addressing parliament, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said earlier Monday that two objects—one gray or green circular object and the second an orange rectangular object—were spotted by an Australian military aircraft about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth. A warship, HMAS Success, is looking for the objects and more aircraft are being sent to the area to assist in the search.
“We don’t know whether any of these objects are from MH370, they could be flotsam,” Mr. Abbott said. “Nevertheless, we are hopeful we can recover these objects and that will take us a step closer to resolving this tragic mystery.”
The U.S. Navy said Monday it was flying a listening device able to locate a submerged flight data recorder to Australia as a “precautionary measure” in case searchers discover a debris field. The device is towed behind a ship to locate signals sent out by a flight recorder down to a maximum 20,000 feet.
Recovery of the so-called black box will be critical to discovering what happened to the Boeing 777-200 plane after it vanished from radar screens.
An Air Peace flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt has suffered a disruption, after the aircraft was affected by a bird strike on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The airline made the disclosure on Thursday in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Osifo-Whiskey Efe.
He added that the incident necessitated safety checks on the affected aircraft and the deployment of another aircraft to convey passengers on subsequent flights.
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“We deeply empathise with passengers affected by this unforeseen incident and are working diligently to minimise disruptions,” Efe said.
The latest incident adds to the growing challenge of bird strikes faced by local airlines.
In December 2025, Air Peace disclosed that it recorded 49 bird strikes across Nigeria between January and September, stressing that even a single strike could ground an aircraft for weeks.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Allen Onyema, had said on Arise TV that bird strikes constituted a major operational challenge, often leading to costly repairs and serious disruptions to flight schedules.
“One bird strike could cripple your aircraft for the next month. At that moment, there is no two ways about it. These bird strikes often lead to costly delays and serious disruptions in flight schedules,” he said.
He added that losses from such incidents compound other challenges facing Nigerian airlines, including heavy taxation and operational constraints.
With the firm belief that it is both sadistic and absolutely despicable, the recently announced outrageous hike in airfares to South East from Abuja to Lagos for Yuletide of 2025 by over 131 percent by Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, the owners have been asked to immediately have a rethink and review backward these harsh, toxic and unfriendly airfares targeting Igbo passengers exclusively.
Making the charge to the chairmen of Air Peace and United Nigeria airlines, Mr. Allen Ugochukwu and Mr. Obiora Okonkwo, the prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expressed anger that these businesses whose proprietors are Igbo by birth are fond of making it so difficult for hundreds of thousands of Igbo passengers residing outside of the South-East to travel home on Christmas festivities.
The rights group say that for many years now, because Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines are monopolies and then Igbos have the tradition exclusively in Nigeria of going home to South East from all over the globe during Yuletides, these few airlines have decidedly fixed toxic ticketing airfares for Igbos whereas northerners who also travel during their religious festivities of salah are not subjected to such exploitative treatments.
The HURIWA accused the two airlines of price fixing, which is anti-competition just as the Rights group said it is giving these two Igbo-hating airlines to review backward their toxic and discriminatory airfares within ten working days from today or it will petition the federal government publicly funding consumer rights body[Federal Competition and Consumer Rights Commission) in Abuja.
The HURIWA wonders if these Igbo owners of private airlines known for making their planes available to government for free during emergencies are in a conspiratorial plots with haters of Igbo land who are unhappy at the convivial and happy atmospheres in the South East during Yuletide, just as the rights group has appealed to Igbo governors to immediately intervene and urge Mr. Allen Ugochukwu and Mr Obiora Okonkwo to treat the Igbo just as they treat for instance northern Muslims who also migrate home to northern Nigeria from around the globe during their Muslim festivities because what is good for the goose, is good for the gander.
The HURIWA said that if Air Peace Airlines have gotten involved in many humanitarian efforts of airlifting Nigerians from outside of our shores for free, it becomes of the Airline ought not to maltreat their clients of Igbo extraction.
The HURIWA quoted from the business official website of Air Peace in which it described its latest humanitarian effort to be an addition to a growing list of interventions by Dr. Allen Onyema and Air Peace.
Quoting Air Peace website, HURIWA stated that Air Peace said thus: “In 2019, the airline airlifted 503 Nigerians free of charge from South Africa amidst xenophobic attacks. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Air Peace conducted multiple repatriation flights. In 2022, the airline flew Nigerian evacuees out of war-torn Ukraine. In May 2023, Dr. Onyema again deployed Air Peace aircraft to evacuate 277 stranded Nigerians from Sudan.
As the rescued women prepare to begin a new chapter, supported by medical care and reintegration efforts, one truth stands out: Air Peace is more than just an airline — it is a bridge of hope for Nigerians in crisis, and a national symbol of empathy, courage and service,” HURIWA conclusively quoted Air Peace.
The HURIWA therefore strongly condemns the two airlines for hiking and fixing unaffordable airfares indiscriminately against Igbo passengers, even as the festive season draws near, Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines have raised their return ticket fares to N677,000, a move that could add financial strain on travellers. The rise in airfares reflects the high demand expected during the holiday rush.
Key Points
Air Peace and United Nigeria increase return ticket fares to N677,000 for the yuletide season.
Airfares on routes to the South-East, including Enugu and Anambra, experience the highest surge.
Ibom Air offers comparatively cheaper tickets, with return fares at N381,600.
Air Peace’s one-way fare for December to January peaks at N350,500.
United Nigeria will also charge N350,500 for select routes between December 11 and the end of the year.
Northern routes, including Lagos-Kano, face smaller increases, with fares starting from N106,900.
Experts predict even higher airfares, with one-way tickets possibly reaching N500,000.
The rise in flight prices signals the start of a challenging holiday travel season, with airfares higher than usual due to increased demand. Travelers must be prepared for the surge, with some routes seeing even higher fare projections.
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The HURIWA is hereby warning the two airlines to withdraw their price fixing malpractices against Igbos or else the Rights group would seek justice and redress for the millions of Igbos who would return home for the 2025 Yuletide from the Federal Competition and Consumer Rights Commission and the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria. The HURIWA threatened to drag the two airlines to the Nigerian President through the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Transportation.
An Abuja-Accra flight experienced technical difficulties mid-air on Friday, forcing it to return to Abuja, shortly after departure.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Board (NSIB) made the disclosure in a statement, adding that it has launched investigation into what it described as a serious accident.
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji stated that preliminary investigations revealed the aircraft experienced an engine number two indication issue.
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It was gathered that the aircraft, with registration number 5NKAL which was operating a flight from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja (DNAA), to Kotoka International Airport, Accra (DGAA).
She explained that four persons were onboard when the incident occurred. The crew immediately requested for a diversion back to Abuja due to the engine indication.
Oladeji added that the crew managed to safely land the aircraft at Abuja Airport at 18:16 UTC.
There were no injuries reported, and all individuals on board are safe.
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