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.
Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) has welcomed efforts to promote safe helicopter services across Africa in a proposed Regional Action Plan (RAP).
The plan, according to a company statement, is the highlight of a workshop organised in Lagos within the week by the Aviation subcommittee of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) in partnership with London-based safety advocacy group, HeliOffshore.
Biztellers reports that the two-day Offshore Helicopter Industry Safety Workshop (OHISW) with the theme “Developing a Regional Action Plan,” followed on from a similar session last year which SNEPCo sponsored.
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It also provided administrative and logistical support for this year’s conference which was sponsored by ExxonMobil. SNEPCo, which pioneered Nigeria’s deepwater production at Bonga in 2005, relies on helicopter shuttles for operations and supports the workshop as part of its contributions towards safe services in Nigeria.
In an address at the opening session delivered by General Manager Contracting and Supply Chain, Charles Oranyeli, Managing Director SNEPCo, Ronald Adams said: “By developing a regional action plan, we can move beyond dialogue to alignment, ensuring that the safety leadership, industry standards, and collaborative approaches championed last year are embedded in a common roadmap for collective improvement. The most effective solutions will come not from isolated efforts, but from partnership, standardization, and coordinated action across the region.”
The workshop was attended by more than 80 representatives from oil and gas companies, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), helicopter operators and original equipment manufacturers.
The event concluded with participants deciding action items for the proposed Regional Action Plan including Search and Rescue (SAR) initiatives, implementation of IOGP Report 690 standards and establishment of formal industry leadership forums.
The IOGP has been active for over 50 years, supporting its more than 90 members around the world to promote “excellence in safe, efficient and sustainable energy.”
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has declared that airlines operating in Nigeria have come under financial pressure following a sharp increase in the price of Jet-A1, also known as aviation fuel.
According to the group, the price of aviation fuel, has surged to about N1,800 per litre in many parts of the country, from about N1,000 per litre two weeks ago. This amounts to almost an 80 per cent increase within a short period.
Aviation fuel remains the largest cost component in airline operations, accounting for about 30 to 35 per cent of total operating expenses.
Industry stakeholders have linked the latest spike to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed up global energy prices.
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Speaking on Channels Television on Friday, the spokesperson for the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, said the surge had placed airlines under severe financial strain.
According to him, most carriers have so far refrained from immediately transferring the additional cost burden to passengers, despite the pressure on their operations.
“Two weeks ago, we were getting Jet-A1 at about N1,000 per litre, which today is about N1,800, and even more in some stations. We have experienced an increase of about 80 per cent. That’s quite a spike,” Okonkwo said.
He explained that airlines were currently absorbing the losses in order to avoid worsening the economic burden on the travellers.
“We are not in a business where you can easily adjust your ticket price. Right now what we are doing is that we are bleeding. We are taking the blow. We are selling tickets at very non-profitable prices. We are losing a lot of money,” he said.
Okonkwo warned that the situation might not be sustainable if fuel prices continue to rise without government intervention.
“Obviously, adjustments will be expected anytime soon. But again, we are very sensitive to the economic situation of Nigerians and our travellers,” he added.
He noted that developments in the global oil market, particularly the recent release of reserve crude oil, could influence fuel prices in the coming weeks.
Okonkwo also urged the Federal Government to explore engagement with the Dangote Refinery as part of efforts to stabilise aviation fuel supply locally.
“We were more hopeless in a situation where there was no refinery in Nigeria in the last two years. Now that we have a refinery, we are hopeful that we can find a solution around it,” he said.
According to him, if the spike persists, some airlines may struggle to continue absorbing the losses associated with the rising cost of aviation fuel.
Meanwhile, the AON spokesperson also reacted to the decision by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to sanction about five airlines over alleged price fixing.
Okonkwo said while the commission has regulatory powers, the aviation sector remains deregulated, making coordinated price fixing unlikely.
“There is no meeting of airlines where they agree to fix prices. Fixing prices would mean operating as a cartel, and that is not the case,” he said.
He explained that airline ticket pricing varies widely because different aircraft types attract different operating costs.
“Each airline determines its fares based on its own operational costs,” he said.
Okonkwo added that airlines must also demonstrate financial viability to regulators as part of the conditions for maintaining their operating licences.
“At every point in time, you must prove to the regulators that you are financially viable and capable of sustaining operations,” he said.
He urged regulators to take into account the fragile nature of the aviation industry when making policy decisions affecting airlines.
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.
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