Malaysia will retain search area for vanished MH370 flight - Ab Aziz

Malaysia will retain the search area for its vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean despite France's confirmation that a flaperon found on French territory, Reunion Island is from the aircraft.

Transport Deputy Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Karpawi said the confirmation had verified further that the authorities were searching in the right area.

"Based on the Australian drift pattern simulation of the MH370 wreckage, it is consistent with the current underwater search area in the southern Indian Ocean.

"We are going to refine further, the search area and will discuss the matter in the tripartite meeting this month," he told Bernama over a telephone phone call when asked to comment whether there would be another new search location for the missing aircraft in the surrounding islands of Africa's east coast.

He reiterated the search would not be conducted in the east coast of Africa's islands namely Reunion Island, Madagascar, Mauritius and Maldives unless new plane debris was found.

On Thursday, a French prosecutor announced that a technician from Airbus Defense and Space (ADS-SAU) in Spain, which had made the part for Boeing, had formally identified one of three numbers found on the flaperon as being the serial number of the MH370 Boeing 777.

The flaperon was found on the shore of the French-governed island on July 29.

Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared from the radar on March 8, last year with 239 passengers and crew.

On Aug 6, this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak confirmed that the parts of the flaperon found on Reunion Island was part of the aircraft.

Prof Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian, head of research and innovation of Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) believed some of Flight MH370's components would eventually resurface and be washed ashore.

"These components were made of floating composite namely aileron, rudder airplane and aircraft doors," he said.

He said the aileron was a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft, and the rudder airplane was a primary control surface used to steer an aircraft.

Meanwhile, Selamat Omar, 62, father of one of the victims of the Flight MH370 tragedy, urged the Malaysian Government to also conduct the search in Reunion Island.

"They should not only focus in the Indian Ocean. Maybe, they could find more wreckages in the island which could help them locate the aircraft's position," he said.

Another family member, Maira Elizabeth Nari, 19, shared the same notion with Selamat, saying: "Maybe, they should search even further and on more islands."