MH370: Inmarsat raw data to be released on Tuesday, says Hishammuddin

The report on the raw satellite data from United Kingdom's Inmarsat, which was used to trace the flight pattern of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, will be released tomorrow, said acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said the Civil Aviation Department and Inmarsat would jointly announce the report.

"This is what they (Inmarsat and DCA) have told me," he told reporters after visiting KL International Airport 2 (KLIA2) here today.

Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, disappeared from radar screens when flying over the South China Sea on March 8 after taking off from KL International Airport here at 12.41 am.

The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft was supposed to have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.

A search that involved the assistance of several countries was launched for the aircraft, initially in the South China Sea and then in the Indian Ocean when it was said to have deviated from its original path.

After the analysis of satellite data showed the final position of the aircraft was in the Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced on March 24 that Flight MH370 had 'ended in the southern Indian Ocean.'

Hishammuddin said the decision to release the Inmarsat raw data was to fulfill the request of the family members of those who were on board MH370.

The data could also be used by global experts for their analysis, he said.

Earlier this month, family members of those on board the missing aircraft had asked the authorities to release the raw data to enable it to be examined for accuracy by relevant experts.