MH370: 'Highly likely' on autopilot mode says Australian DPM

It is ‘highly, highly likely’ for the missing Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 to be on autopilot when it flew over the South Indian Ocean, until it ran out of fuel and ended there.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said this is because otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings.

Truss also said that the search area for the plane that has been missing since March 8, has now shifted further south.

Truss, who is also the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development said the new search zone measures up to 60,000 sq km, located along the arc in the southern Indian Ocean and the new search will involve efforts from various experts around the world.

“Specialists have analysed satellite communications information - information which was never initially intended to have the capability to track an aircraft - and performed extremely complex calculations.

"The new priority area is still focused on the seventh arc, where the aircraft last communicated with satellite.

We are now shifting our attention to an area further south along the arc based on these calculations," he said at a press conference in Canberra.

He said the search for MH370 continues with a bathymetric survey—or mapping of the ocean floor—in the search area, to be followed by a comprehensive search of the sea floor.

“The bathymetric survey has already commenced, with the Chinese survey ship Zhu Kezhen and the Australian-contracted vessel Fugro Equator conducting operations in the areas provided by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

“It will take around three months to complete the bathymetric survey.

“The underwater search will aim to locate the aircraft and any evidence to assist with the Malaysian investigation of the disappearance of MH370,” he said.

It is expected that the underwater search will begin in August and take up to 12 months to complete.

Malaysia and Australia are developing a Memorandum of Understanding to determine the areas of cooperation in the search and recovery activities, including financial arrangements.