Kadhdhoo Airport to be transformed into a military airport

The government has decided to convert the airport in L. Kadhdhoo into a military airport.

Speaking to a local media, Colonel Retired Muhammad Naazim, the Minister of Defence, said that the airport has been handed over to his ministry for the work of transformation. He also said that the necessary work would be done and the airport would begin operations as a military airport starting from the coming January.

The Minister said helicopters used by the Maldives National Defence Force would be relocated there that when the transformation is complete. He also said that the ministry is trying to get aircrafts to be used by the MNDF with the new facility.

The Minister said that domestic flight operations would continue uninterrupted, and that new jobs would be created at the Airport with the change.

“This would not disturb the domestic flights. Our facilities would be installed there, and new jobs would be created”, said the Minister. 

ރާއްޖޭގެ މީޑިއާއަކަށް މައުލޫމާތު ދެއްވަމުން ޑިފެންސް މިނިސްޓަރު ކާނަލް ރިޓަޔާޑު މުހައްމަދު ނާޒިމް ވިދާޅުވީ ކައްދޫ އެއާޕޯޓު އަސްކަރީ އެއާޕޯޓަކަށް ބަދަލުކުރުމަށްޓަކައި ޑިފެންސް މިނިސްޓްރީއާ އެ އެއާޕޯޓު ހަވާލުކޮށްފައިވާ ކަމަށެވެ. އަދި އަންނަ ޖެނުއަރީ މަހުން ފެށިގެން އެތަން އަސްކަރީ އެއާޕޯޓަކަށް ބަދަލުކުރެވިގެންދާނެ ކަމަށް ވެސް މިނިސްޓަރު ވިދާޅުވިއެވެ.

އޭނާ ވިދާޅުވީ އަސްކަރީ އެއާޕޯޓަކަށް ބަދަލުވުމުން އެމްއެންޑީއެފް އިން ބޭނުންކުރާ ހުރިހާ ހެލިކޮޕްޓަރުތައް ވެސް އެތަނަށް ބަދަލުކުރާނެ ކަމަށެވެ. އަދި އެއެއާޕޯޓުގައި ބޭނުންކުރާ ވައިގެ އުޅަނދުފަހަރު ހޯދުމުގެ މަސައްކަތް ކުރަމުން އަންނަ ކަމަށް ވެސް ނާޒިމް ވިދާޅުވިއެވެ.

އަސްކަރީ އެއާޕޯޓަކަށް ބަދަލުކުރިނަމަވެސް ކައްދޫ އެއާޕޯޓުގެ ޑޮމެސްޓިކް އޮޕަރޭޝަންސްތަކަށް ބުރުލެއް ނާރާނެ ކަމަށާއި އެކަމުގެ ސަބަބުން ވަޒީފާގެ ފުރުސަތައް އިތުރުވެގެންދާނެ ކަމަށް ވެސް ޑިފެންސް މިނިސްޓަރު ވިދާޅުވިއެވެ.

"މިގޮތަށް ހެދުމަކުން ޑޮމެސްޓިކް އޮޕަރޭޝަންތަކަށް ބުރުލެއް ނާރާނެ. ޑޮމެސްޓިކް އޮޕަރޭޝަންތައް ހިންގަމުންދާއިރު އަޅުގަނޑުމެންގެ އެއްޗިހި އެތާ ބަހައްޓާނީ. މީގެއިތުރުން ވަޒީފާގެ ފުރުސަތު އިތުރުވެގެންދާނެ،" ނާޒިމް ވިދާޅުވިއެވެ. 

By: KATS On 11:23 PM

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Maldives joins global air traffic control association

Vice President of MATCA Amhaar working at the air traffic control tower at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA)

The Maldives Air Traffic Controllers Association (MATCA) has joined the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Association (IFATCA) - the international organisation of air traffic controllers.

IFATCA Meeting

MATCA's president Saddam Ahmed Saeed and secretary Yusuf Naeem took part in IFATCA's 59th annual general meeting, which was held in Spain on Friday.

The vice president of MATCA Amhaar Mahraan Mohamed told Haveeru on Sunday that being a member of an international organisation is a massive development for the 60-member MATCA, and that this would also be a huge encouragement to further improve the security of Maldivian air traffic.

"The international federation usually gives advice on improvement techniques and keeps us updated on new developments in the field. One of the biggest objectives of the association is to provide professional opinions and strengthen air transport facilities. We will be granted all these opportunities now that we are also a member there," he said.

Amhaar said that MATCA works together with the state run Maldives Airports Company (MACL), and that their membership with IFATCA will further develop their relationship to bring about air transport improvements.

"They send invites to their annual meetings only to those they see fit. That is how we got invited this year. We believe that this proves that the federation accepts all our efforts since the creation of MATCA in 2008," Amhaar said.

IFATCA has more than 130 air traffic control organisations as members, summing up to more than 50,000 air traffic controllers.

News: Haveeru Online

By: KATS On 5:39 AM

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Flight MH370: Fresh objects found in new Indian Ocean search area

Fresh objects spotted by planes searching for a missing Malaysian passenger jet in a new area of the southern Indian Ocean have again raised hopes of unravelling the three-week-old mystery.

Australian authorities coordinating the operation dramatically moved the air and sea search 1,100 km north on Friday after new analysis of radar and satellite data concluded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 travelled faster and for a shorter distance after vanishing from civilian radar screens on March 8.

Australia said late on Friday that five international aircraft had spotted "multiple objects of various colours" in the new search area some 1,850 km west of Perth.

A map of the new search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Photograph: Australian Maritime Safety Authority/Getty Images

Flight Lieutenant Jamin Baker was on a New Zealand Air Force Orion which spotted several items and dropped a marker buoy in "an area of interest".

"Obviously we don't know if these (objects) are associated with the aircraft yet but it certainly looks like we are seeing a lot more debris and just general flotsam in the water, so we could be on to something here," Baker said.

One Chinese navy ship was in the area and would be trying to recover objects on Saturday, while other ships were steaming to the area, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

Malaysia says the Boeing 777, which vanished less than an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was likely diverted deliberately but investigators have turned up no apparent motive or other red flags among the 227 passengers or the 12 crew.

US officials close to the investigation said the FBI found nothing illuminating in data it had received from computer equipment used by MH370's pilots, including a home-made flight simulator.

The search has involved more than two dozen countries and 60 aircraft and ships but has been bedevilled by regional rivalries and an apparent reluctance to share potentially crucial information due to security concerns.

Malaysian officials said the new search area was the result of a painstaking analysis of Malaysian military radar data and satellite readings from British company Inmarsat carried out by US, Chinese, British and Malaysian investigators.

Engine performance analysis by the plane's manufacturer, Boeing, helped investigators determine how long the plane could have flown before it ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean, they said.

"Information which had already been examined by the investigation was re-examined in light of new evidence drawn from the Inmarsat data analysis," Malaysia's acting Transport Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, told a news conference on Friday.

For more than a week, ships and surveillance planes had been scouring seas 2,500 km south-west of Perth, where satellite images had shown possible debris from Flight MH370. That search zone has now been abandoned.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the shift was based on analysis of radar data between the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca. At that time, the Boeing 777 was making a radical diversion west from its course.

Malaysia's civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said at Friday's news conference he was "not at liberty" to give the exact path of the aircraft.

Officials close to the investigation told Reuters last week that the plane may have passed close to Port Blair, the capital of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 885 km further north-west from where Malaysia has said its military radar last detected it.

At around 319,000 sq km – roughly the size of Poland – the new search area is larger, but closer to Perth, allowing aircraft to spend longer on site. It is also favourable in terms of the weather as it is out of the Roaring 40s, the the deep sea region known for its huge seas and storm-force winds.

Searchers have perhaps a week to find debris, calculate the likely crash area and find the aircraft's voice and data "black boxes" before batteries showing their location run out.

By: KATS On 9:13 PM

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Flight MH370: search zone moved as new fuel theory emerges

Malaysia Airlines plane was going faster than previously thought, meaning its tanks would have run dry sooner, say authorities.

An Australian air force crew in the cockpit of an Orion plane searching for flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean.

The Australian-led search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has shifted 1,100km to the north-east after investigators calculated the plane was going faster and using more fuel when it disappeared than previously thought.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said the analysis was based on the plane's final radar contacts between the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, and suggested the plane would have burned more fuel in the opening stages of its flight. It therefore would not have made it as far into the Indian Ocean before running out of fuel and crashing.
The new target location means planes are able to spend longer over the search area, and with the prospect of much better weather because it is away the notoriously foul conditions of the "roaring forties"between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees south. Previously aircraft had been consuming much of their fuel and their time just getting out to sea and returning. This left limited capacity to remain "on-scene", said John Young, general manager of the Amsa emergency response division.
"We will certainly get better time on scene. We started nearly 3,000km from Perth so we've taken quite a lot off that. You might recall we were talking in terms of one to two hours on-scene. We're now doing much better than that.

"The other benefit we get from the north is the search area has moved out of the roaring forties, which creates very adverse weather frequently. I'm not sure we'll get perfect weather out there but it's likely to be better more often than we've seen in the past."

Australia's Geospatial Intelligence Organisation is reprogramming satellites to image the new area. "We will see what that does in terms of satellite imagery when the retasking of satellite starts to produce new material as well," Young said.
Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, said the "new and credible lead" had resulted in the search area being shifted to an area of about 319,000 square kilometres centred on a point 1,850km west of Perth.
The US has sent another search plane to join the hunt after Thailand became the latest country to announce satellite imagery showing hundreds of pieces of possible debris in the Indian Ocean west of Australia.

The United States said it was sending a second P-8 Poseidon aircraft to Perth but would not be sending a warship. "We believe – and just as importantly, the Malaysian government believes – that the most important asset that we have that we can help them with are these long-range maritime patrol aircraft," said Rear Admiral John Kirby.
The commanding officer of Australia's HMAS Success, Captain Allison Norris, said she had instituted hourly shift changes to make sure crews' attention did not stray from scanning the vast and remote stretch of ocean notorious for its rapidly changing weather conditions. The warship is leading the seaborne search in a multinational effort that on Friday resumed with 10 aircraft setting out to join the five ships already at sea.
Norris told the Sydney Morning Herald that supervisors on the Success were constantly reminding crew "what they're there for and keeping them focused".
"Morale remains good despite the cold conditions," she said.
Amsa said that as well as the planes already involved, the Australian air force was putting another P3 Orion on standby in case of a debris sighting.
Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency has said images taken on Monday showed about 300 objects ranging in size from two to 15 metres. The information was passed to Malaysian authorities.

Thai satellite images taken as part of the plane search Photograph: Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency

It said the objects were scattered over an area about 2,700km (1,680 miles) south-west of Perth and about 200km from an area pinpointed earlier in French satellite photos. "But we cannot – dare not – confirm they are debris from the plane," said Anond Snidvongs, the executive director of the Thai space agency.
Japan also announced a satellite analysis indicated about 10 square floating objects in a similar area, the Kyodo news agency said. Japanese authorities said the objects were up to eight metres in length and four metres wide, with Jiji Press citing an official at the office as saying they were "highly likely" to be from the plane.
Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau, said the original search zone had a range of possible assumptions about aircraft speed that had now been refined.
"It is an iterative process and is being refined over time but what we have at the moment is the most credible location of the entry to the water and therefore the place to search," he said.
Sorties being flown by planes from Australia, China, Japan and the United States were forced back to Perth on Thursday as thunderstorms and gale force winds swept through the southern Indian Ocean, although the five ships stayed put. Amsa said the air search was able to start again on Friday.
The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished on 8 March with 239 people on board after taking off from Kuala Lumpur and then inexplicably turning off its China-bound course. All contact was lost except for a series of "pings" from a transmitter on the plane to a satellite that were used to plot its probable course into the deep south of the Indian Ocean.
The arrival of sensitive tracking equipment to help locate the plane's "black boxes" offers a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough in what has become the biggest mystery in commercial aviation history.
An Australian naval vessel ship will sweep the seabed by towing an underwater listening device deep below the surface in the hope of picking up an ultrasonic signal from one or both of the plane's black box recorders, while a small submersible drone will be used to scan the sea floor for signs of wreckage.

Search teams are hoping that the detection equipment will be able to pick up acoustic pings emitted every second from the plane's black box flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
Each of the two recorders has a beacon, attached to the outside of the black box, which once activated by contact with water makes a sound every second. The beacons have a battery life of 30 days, sometimes longer, before the pings begin to fade. Assuming the plane crashed on 8 March, as Malaysian officials insist, that means the beacons aboard MH370 will begin to fade about 7 April and could go silent about 12 April.
Theories about the plane's fate include a hijacking, pilot sabotage or a crisis that incapacitated the crew and left the plane to fly on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.
The focus has been on the pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, with the FBI analysing data from a flight simulator taken from his home. So far no information implicating the captain or anyone else has emerged and his youngest son, Ahmad Seth, on Thursday dismissed speculation his father may have crashed the plane intentionally.

Agence France-Presse and AAP contributed to this report to the http://www.theguardian.com

By: KATS On 12:08 AM

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India's tallest ATC tower becomes operational in Mumbai

MUMBAI: India's tallest air traffic control tower, the height of a 30-storey skyscraper, was commissioned at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here on Wednesday, 1st January 2014, an official said.  

The ATC operations here have been taken over by the new tower, which stands at 83.8 metres, over 20 metres higher than the existing structure. 

The new tower, built at a cost of around Rs.1.25 billion (Rs.125 crore/$20 million) affords an uninterrupted five-mile 360-degrees view of the surroundings for better navigation and surveillance.

However, its distinction will be short-lived as the new ATC tower in New Delhi is expected to stand 102 metres tall.  

Equipped with the latest technology in communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems, the new ATC has a capacity of handling 46 flight operations per hour, including around 750 take-offs and landings, and controlling other air traffic movements like international air traffic in a 24-hour cycle making it among the busiest in the country.  

The swank, new ATC tower was inaugurated in October this year and since then was working in co-ordination with the old ATC tower before the formal migration took place on Wednesday.  

To be manned by around 10 ATC controllers and a dozen engineers in each shift, the new ATC tower is spread over 2,884 square metres with an award-winning design.  

The old ATC tower will be soon be demolished and will enable the GVK Group that runs the airport provide more amenities and facilities to improve operations and efficiency at the airport.

By: KATS On 12:04 AM

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MH370: two objects spotted in southern Indian Ocean, Australia says

 Theguardian.com, Thursday 20 March 2014 05.47 GMT
Prime minister Tony Abbott announces search planes being sent based on ‘new and credible information’ from satellite images

Search planes are on their way to assess at least two objects in the southern Indian Ocean that could be connected to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australian authorities have announced.
Four aircraft have been sent to the area after a “possible indication of debris” was detected in satellite imagery, said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa), which is co-ordinating the search in the southern Indian Ocean.
Amsa’s emergency response general manager, John Young, said the largest possible object had been assessed as measuring 24 metres. The satellite sightings were made 2,500km (1,500 miles) south-west of Perth.
The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, told parliament on Thursday that the “new and credible information” had emerged from expert analysis of satellite imagery. His announcement came 12 days after Beijing-bound MH370 went missing on 8 March shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, with 239 people on board.
Abbott said an Australian air force Orion had been diverted to look for the objects, with three more aircraft following for a more intensive follow-up search. He added that he had informed the Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, of the developments.

Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, briefs parliament in Canberra on the possible debris sighting.

Abbott cautioned against drawing premature conclusions. “We must keep in mind the task of locating these objects will be extremely difficult and it may turn out that they are not related to the search for flight MH370.
“Nevertheless I did want to update the house on this potentially important development.”

Earlier, Amsa said it had halved the search area in the Indian Ocean – albeit to an area still covering 300,000 square kilometres – and moved it closer to Perth.
Young, the Amsa chief, said after Abbott’s announcement that the objects were “relatively indistinct” on the satellite imagery but were of “reasonable size and probably awash with water … bobbing up and down in the water”.
“We have been in this business of doing search and rescue and using satellite images before,” Young said. “They do not always turn out to be related to the search even if they look good, so we will hold our views on that until they are sighted.”
The Orion had reported initial poor visibility, which would hamper both air and satellite efforts. The other aircraft due to arrive later on Thursday included a New Zealand air force Orion and a United States navy P8 Poseidon.
An Australian C130 Hercules aircraft would drop marker buoys to track currents that could carry any debris elsewhere. “They will provide an ongoing reference point if the task of relocating the objects becomes protracted,” Young said.
“Royal Australian Navy warship HMAS Success is en route to the area but is some days away from this area. She is well equipped to recover any objects located and proven to be from MH370.”
Australia’s Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation provided the assessment of the satellite imagery, Amsa said. A senior Australian military official, Air Commodore John McGarry, said the satellite material was credible enough to divert search efforts to the area involved.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing almost two weeks ago. Australia has taken charge of the search mission over a potential southern flight path since it was revealed that the plane appeared to have continued flying for hours after the last contact was made with Malaysian air traffic authorities.
Malaysian officials said on Wednesday that both the northern and southern search arcs delineated by analysis of satellite data – sweeping north to Kazakhstan and down to the southern Indian Ocean – remained of equal interest. On Thursday, after Abbott announced the intensive new focus of the search, Malaysian authorities responded by saying that there had been a possible new development.
The search is a multinational effort involving 26 countries. On Wednesday Barack Obama said finding out what happened to MH370 was a top priority for the United States.
The BBC suggested in a report that the investigation was focusing on the ends of the two arcs. It also suggested that the plane had continued to move between its last known radar sighting at either 2.15am or 2.40am and its last contact with a satellite was at 8.11am.
The total search area set out by Malaysian authorities, covering a total of 2.24m square nautical miles, was based on initial analysis of the signals the plane sent to satellites.
Malaysian authorities have said the missing plane’s 12 crew members have been under investigation since the aircraft disappeared and that the homes of the pilot and co-pilot have been visited twice by police. The pilot’s flight simulator was taken from his house on Sunday, the Malaysian transport ministry said.
Obama, the US president, said earlier that every available resource was being used in the search, including the FBI, the National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies dealing with aviation. Three Americans were on board the flight.
Obama added: “It’s a big piece of planet that we’re searching and sometimes these things take time, but we hope and pray that we can get to the bottom of what happened.”

Search area for the Australian search has been reduced to 300,000 square kilometres from 600,000 square kilometres Photograph: Xinhua/Landov/Barcroft Media

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By: KATS On 11:59 PM

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Missing Malaysia Airlines plane 'sabotaged on board'

The Observer, Saturday 15 March 2014 18.45 GMT

The hunt for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has taken a dramatic turn after the country's prime minister confirmed that communications on board had been deliberately disabled and that the jet had flown off course for more than six hours after it lost contact with air traffic control.

The revelation came as police raided the home of the missing flight's pilot, sparking intense speculation that someone on the plane had been responsible for its disappearance or hijack.

No group has claimed responsibility, but the Malaysian authorities confirmed foul play was now the most likely theory to explain the plane's fate.

The Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, said his country's air force defence radar had picked up traces of the plane turning back westward, crossing over Peninsular Malaysia before heading into the northern stretches of the Strait of Malacca.

He said investigators had a "high degree of certainty" that the plane's Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System (Acars), had been disabled before the aircraft reached the east coast of Malaysia. Soon after, someone on board switched off the aircraft's transponder, the device that communicates the plane's location to the civilian air traffic controllers.

"These movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane," Najib said. "In view of this latest development, the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board."

Tracing what happened to the Boeing 777, which disappeared from civilian radar last Saturday with 239 passengers and crew on board as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has now become an international effort. Fourteen countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are already involved in the search, which is expanding rapidly as information on the plane's potential routes emerges.

On Saturday the UK-based satellite operator, Inmarsat, whose technology has helped to identify possible routes taken by the plane, confirmed that it was now working with the UK authorities in the search.

"Inmarsat has been appointed as a technical adviser to the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 so that we may fully support the Malaysia investigation," the company said in a short statement.

The Malaysian authorities said satellite data indicated that the aircraft had last made contact with a satellite more than seven hours after it took off. They said the signals had indicated that it was flown along one of two standard flight corridors: either north, towards an area stretching from northern Thailand to Kazakhstan, or south, towards airspace over Indonesia, out towards the southern Indian Ocean.

A source familiar with US assessments of the plane's electronic signals said the most likely explanation was that it had turned south over the Indian Ocean, where it is likely to have run out of fuel and crashed into the sea.

There are claims that Malaysian military radar last identified the plane in the Strait of Malacca, 1,000 miles west of Perth in Australia. There were reports on Saturday that, after Malaysia air traffic control had recognised it had lost the flight, it had repeatedly tried to contact the jet for more than two hours before issuing a red alert.

If the plane continued north towards Central Asia, it is unclear how it would have avoided detection by Indian air control or by other radars in the vicinity, including the US military airbase in Bagram, Afghanistan.

Investigators are combing passenger and crew records but American authorities have said they do not believe that anyone on board had links to extremist groups.

Experts said that whoever disabled the plane's communication systems and then flew the jet must have had a high degree of technical knowledge and flying experience. One possibility is that one of the pilots was intent on suicide.

On Saturday police began searching 53-year-old captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. It was not clear if the home of co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, was also being investigated. Shah joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981 and was considered by colleagues to be an "aviation tech geek" who had clocked in 18,365 flight hours. The grandfather was considered "very friendly and safety-conscious" and enjoyed flying miniature planes and playing with a flight simulator he had built in his home.

The hunt for the plane has led to tensions between Malaysia and China, which had 153 of its citizens on board. The Chinese government's Xinhua news agency accused Malaysia of dragging its feet in releasing information. "Given today's technology, the delay smacks of either dereliction of duty or reluctance to share information in a full and timely manner," Xinhua said.

By: KATS On 9:37 PM

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Malaysian MH370 co-pilot entertained teenagers in cabin on earlier flight

Jonti Roos and Jaan Maree in cockpit of Malaysia Airlines flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur

Source: The Guardian

Photographs of the co-pilot of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have emerged showing him entertaining teenage tourists in an aircraft cockpit during a previous flight.

The images came to light on the day Malaysian officials said they were investigating potential "psychological problems" of the crew or passengers for possible reasons as to why the aircraft could have gone missing.

The first officer, Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, invited two South African teenagers in to the flight cabin for the entirety of a flight in 2011 from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur. He and his colleague entertained the two girls, smoked cigarettes and posed for photographs with them.

Jonti Roos, who said she and a friend were once invited into the cockpit of a Malaysia Airlines flight by missing co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid. Photograph: Facebook

Jonti Roos, one of the passengers,told Australia's A Current Affair: "They were actually smoking throughout the flight, which I don't think they're allowed to do.

"At one stage, they were pretty much turned around the whole time in their seats talking to us. They were so engaged in conversation that he [Hamid] took my friend's hand, and he was looking at her palm and said, 'your hand is very creased – that means you're a very creative person', and commented on her nail polish."

The women were approached by an air steward as they took their seats on the flight and spent the whole of the one-hour trip, from takeoff to landing, in the cockpit with the two pilots.

Roos told the 9 Network programme she and her friend were picked out by Hamid as they waited to board the plane, and later were asked to have a night out in Kuala Lumpur in what Roos described as a "slightly sleazy" encounter.

In what is likely to be viewed as a damning reflection on Malaysian Airlines' security practices, Roos said she had come forward with the information because so little was known about what had happened to flight MH370.

"I'm really not saying that I think the co-pilot was in the wrong with this flight at all," she said. "It could have been absolutely anything. This is just the little bit of information that I have."

Hamid joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007 as a first officer, and had clocked up 2,763 flying hours by the time of the disappearance. His captain on the MH370, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, joined the airline in 1981, and had flown about 18,000 hours.

Shah was an "aviation tech geek" who spent his weekends at home going through drills on a Boeing 777 flight simulator and flying remote-controlled miniature aircraft, said colleagues.

His excellent track record with the airline has thrown doubt on pilot error as an explanation. "He knew everything about the Boeing 777," said a colleague. "Something significant would have had to happen for Zaharie and the plane to go missing. It would have to be total electrical failure."

Despite the potentially grave security lapse during Roos's flight, the South African, who lives in Melbourne, said she believed the two pilots had been "very competent in what they were doing".

"We wished they [would] stop smoking, because it is such a confined space. But you can't exactly tell a pilot to stop smoking[that]," she added.

It was only by reading messages that friends and family had posted on Hamid's Facebook wall that Roos realised he had been co-pilot on the MH370 flight.

"I was just completely shocked. I couldn't believe it," she said. "My heart really broke for them, and my heart broke for the family of the passengers. It's just a really sad story."

A statement issued by Malaysia Airlines said: "Malaysia Airlines has become aware of the allegations being made against First Officer, Fariq Ab Hamid which we take very seriously. We are shocked by these allegations.

"We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident. As you are aware, we are in the midst of a crisis, and we do not want our attention to be diverted.

"We also urge the media and general public to respect the privacy of the families of our colleagues and passengers. It has been a difficult time for them.

"The welfare of both the crew and passenger's families remain our focus. At the same time, the security and safety of our passengers is of the utmost importance to us."

By: KATS On 5:20 AM

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Malaysia Airlines hunts for missing plane carrying 239

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Malaysia Airlines said a flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing went missing early Saturday, and the airline was notifying next of kin in a sign it feared the worst.

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The airline said flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).

A statement posted on the official Vietnamese government website said the flight disappeared in Vietnamese airspace.

"The plane lost contact in Ca Mau province airspace before it had entered contact with Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control," it said.

The plane was meant to transfer to Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control at 1722 GMT but never appeared, the statement said, citing a senior Ministry of Defence official.

Vietnam's Ministry of Defence has launched rescue efforts to find the plane, working in coordination with Malaysian and Chinese officials, the statement added.

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Graphic on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight carrying 239 on board (AFP Photo/)

The Boeing 777-200 was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members.

China's state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese. Some 160 Chinese had been due to be on the flight but two missed it, according to Xinhua, quoting China's Civil Aviation Administration.

"We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing," Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.

The statement said the Malaysian flag carrier was working with authorities, who had launched an effort to locate the aircraft.

"Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew," Ahmad Jauhari said.

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A passenger checks information at a Malaysia Airlines booth at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in …

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

The airline's Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route passes over the South China Sea, and remote parts of the Indochinese peninsula before entering southern Chinese airspace.

A Malaysian Airlines spokeswoman said she could not immediately provide further details, but the airline said it would soon hold a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

"This news has made us all very worried," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing.

"We hope every one of the passengers is safe. We are doing all we can to get more details."

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Malaysian Airlines Group Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahyain, right, speaks during a press confere …

- 'Contact lost over Vietnam airspace' -

A report by China's Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese aviation authorities saying the plane did not enter China's air traffic control sphere.

A spokeswoman with a Thai agency that monitors the country's airspace told AFP the plane also did not cross over Thailand.

A Beijing airport spokeswoman said the facility had activated an emergency response system. Screens at the airport indicated the flight was "delayed".

An accident would be a huge blow for the carrier, which has bled money for years as its struggles to fend off competition from rivals such as fast-growing AirAsia.

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A Malaysian man who says he has relatives on board the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, talks to jo …

It recorded its fourth straight quarterly loss during the final three months of 2013 and warned of a "challenging" year ahead due to intense competition.

The carrier admitted in 2012 it was in "crisis", forcing it to implement a cost-cutting campaign centred on slashing routes and other measures.

In 2011, it chalked up a record 2.5 billion ringgit ($767 million) loss.

In July 2013, a Boeing 777-200 operated by South Korea's Asiana Airlines skidded off the runway upon landing at San Francisco's international airport after it clipped a seawall before touching down.

Three people died.

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Malaysian Airlines Group Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahyain, front, speaks during a press confere …

"We're closely monitoring reports on Malaysia flight MH370. Our thoughts are with everyone on board," the manufacturer said in a statement on its Twitter feed.

Boeing has been beset by problems with its high-tech 787 Dreamliners put into service two years ago, including a months-long global grounding over battery problems last year.

The information vacuum regarding the flight touched off a frenzy on social media, which saw an outpouring of concern for passengers and unconfirmed rumours that the plane had landed safely in southern China.

Malaysian Airlines has said those rumours were false, The Star newspaper reported.

A spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald that Australian passengers were on board but could not confirm how many.

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Journalists attempt to interview a woman who is the relative of a passenger on Malaysia Airlines fli …

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has suffered few accidents in its history.

One of its jets crashed in 1977 in southern Malaysia, killing all 93 passengers and seven crew.

A smaller Twin Otter aircraft, operated by its unit MASwings, crashed upon landing in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island last October, killing a co-pilot and a passenger.

There were no immediate signs of passenger relatives descending in large numbers on Beijing's airport.

An AFP journalist saw one woman enter the arrivals zone at the airport and break down in tears. She was led away by police.

By: KATS On 9:36 PM

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