Interim report on MH370 will be released to abide by ICAO - DCA

An interim report on the investigation into the one-year long disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 will be released soon, to abide with the requirement of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general, Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the investigation was carried out in accordance with Annex 13 - Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), as implemented by the Civil Aviation Regulations 1996.

He said the Annex 13 of ICAO Protocol underlined that if any accident and investigation report could not be finalised, an interim statement had to be issued at every anniversary of the accident.

"The investigation of MH370 is being conducted by an independent body, led by Malaysia because Malaysia is the state of registry and state of operator, assisted by seven countries.

"The seven countries are the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia," he said at a media briefing in conjunction with the first anniversary of the missing Boeing aircraft here Friday.

Flight MH370, on which were 227 passengers and 12 crew went missing from the radar screen while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, about an hour after it departed from the KL International Airport on March 8 last year. It was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am on the same day.

Azharuddin noted the findings of an international investigation team, which was set up in April last year, was not under the DCA's jurisdiction but rather under the Accident Independent Investigation body to release the report.

"The Investigator in Charge for the International Investigation Team is Datuk Kok Soo Chon, he is my predecessor and also a former permanent representative to the ICAO Council in Montreal," he said.

On the progress of the investigation, Azharuddin said he could not reveal any information as he was not involved in the investigation.

He said the international team comprises the United States National Transport Safety Board; Britain's Air Accidents Investigations Branch; China's Aircraft Accident Investigation Department; France's Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau; Australia Transport Safety Bureau; aircraft manufacturer Boeing and British satellite communications company Inmarsat.