The autonomous underwater vehicle Bluefin-21 has completed its eighth mission in the underwater search for the Malaysia Airlines aircraft and is scheduled to begin its ninth mission today.

The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said the vehicle has searched approximately two thirds of the focused underwater search area but has found no contacts of interest to date.

For the ninth mission, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has planned a visual search area totalling approximately 49,491 square kilometres.

The centre of the search area lies approximately 1741 kilometres north west of Perth.

“Up to 10 military aircraft and 11 ships will assist in today's search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

“The weather forecast for today has conditions deteriorating, particularly in the north of the search area, as Tropical Cyclone Jack continues its track southwards. Wide spread showers are developing with isolated thunderstorms to the north and east south-easterly winds,” JACC said in a media statement.

Flight MH370, with 239 people aboard, left the KL International Airport at 12.4am on March 8 and disappeared from radar screens about an hour later while over the South China Sea.

It was to have arrived in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.