Malaysia Airlines (MAS) remains absolutely committed in communicating all matters with regard to the disappearance of MAS Flight MH370 to family members of the crew, including those who had retained foreign lawyers to represent their interests.

In a statement here Friday, the carrier confirmed its lawyers had discussions with the United States (US) lawyers engaged by the families and as a result, certain protocol had now been agreed upon.

"As lawyers have now been retained, MAS is unable to comment on any legal issue in relation to these families but the airline will be informing them of what it has agreed with the family members' lawyers.

"Certain protocols have been agreed upon to enable MAS to continue to maintain direct contact with the families of the crew of the missing aircraft to provide them with the care and assistance that they need at this difficult time," it said.

It was reported that the US law firm, Ribbeck Law Chartered formally notified MAS' lawyers that it had been appointed as the legal representative for the family members of some of the crew and provided evidence that they had been retained by the families.

MAS noted that once a legal representative was engaged, professional etiquette and rules of conduct dictated that contact with a party who was legally represented should ordinarily be through the lawyer.

It reiterated that after the closure of the family assistance centre on May 7, the airline had updated family members with news from the Joint Action Coordination Centre and the Malaysian Government, as and when it was made available via its caregivers and the family support centre.

The plane with 239 people on board, including 12 crew members vanished on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

A search operation for the aircraft is underway in waters off western Australia, in the southern Indian Ocean.