Malaysia Airlines team did not know MH370 had turned back in crucial first hours
MALAYSIA Airlines did not initially know that MH370 had turned back after disappearing from civilian radar, with the crisis team instead searching along its planned route and considering hijacking after learning two passengers were travelling on stol...
Malaysia Airlines' crisis team faced uncertainty in the crucial first hours following the disappearance of Flight MH370 on March 8, 2014. They initially searched along the aircraft's planned route, considering hijacking as a possibility after learning that two passengers were using stolen passports. Former MH370 and MH17 crisis director Mohd Fuad Sharuji explained that the team relied on civilian radar data, which did not reveal the Boeing 777's U-turn.
It was only the next day that they received confirmation of the turn back from military radar. The crisis team was informed by INTERPOL that the passengers had used fake passports, which led to the initial assumption of a hijacking. Investigations later found no evidence linking the two Iranian nationals to terrorism, but concluded that their actions were more likely related to migrant smuggling.
The initial search focused on the South China Sea, shifting later to the Straits of Melaka and the southern Indian Ocean based on Inmarsat satellite data. Despite extensive efforts, the main wreckage of the Boeing 777 remains undiscovered more than a year later.
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