As a massive search operation by 10 countries to locate the missing Malaysian Airlines’ MH370 is doubled to include remote parts of mainland Malaysia and the Straits of Malacca, the airline has indicated that maintenance of the B777-200 was up to date.
"The B777-200 aircraft that operated MH370 underwent maintenance on 23 February 2014, 12 days before this particular flight on 8 March 2014.The next check is due on 19 June 2014. The maintenance was conducted at the KLIA hangar and there were no issues on the health of the aircraft," MAS said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 is regarded as one of the world’s safest jets. It had GPS, an indestructible black box and a beacon designed to float to the surface.
So, how can a Boeing 777 just vanish over the sea?
Aviation expert John Goglia, writing on the Forbes website, said crews are also able to speak to their airline through "discrete radio channels".
The sudden end to all communication, without a distress signal, suggests a "catastrophic failure of the aircraft", he suggested.
