MH370: With new data search must resume

There is no question that the handling by the Malaysian government and its aviation authorities into the loss of MH370 has been sub-optimal.

The first weeks were best described as a shambles with first confusion then contradiction which left relatives of those aboard certain that there was a cover-up.

Certainly the loss of MH370 on March 8, 2014 is unprecedented in modern times but the Malaysian Government’s performance over this tragedy has been a muddled disaster and that has only fuelled the conspiracy theorists, who have had a field day.

Almost every utterance — mostly via social media — from the host of Malaysian officials and military was a PR disaster.

That view is supported by noted aviation commentator and former senior air safety investigator with the US National Transportation Safety Board, Gregory Feith, who told The West Australian last month that the public’s confidence in the search had suffered badly.

However, Australia’s performance in the leading the search for the missing Boeing has won praise from Mr Feith.

“The Malaysian were out of their depth with MH370 and were lucky Australia took over, said Mr Feith.

The revelation from UWA of an almost exact location using reverse drift modelling from the debris, combined with the CSRIO ocean current analysis published late last year gives the governments of Australia, Malaysia and China the “specific spot” they say they are looking for.

Last year when Australia's Federal Transport Minister Darren Chaster called off the search he blamed the Australian Transport Safety Bureau saying he was following its advice.

In fact, the ATSB and its international partner’s strong recommendation was to search the new area identified as the final resting place.

MH370 will be found just as many ships such as the Bismark, HMS Hood, HMAS Sydney and the Titanic were found - it is in our DNA.