Australia’s Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) chief Angus Houston made his first public appearance in Malaysia today since heading the multinational search for MH370.
Also making his first appearance here is the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) president Mr Jean-Paul Troadec, who was the lead investigator in the Air France Flight 447 2009 crash.
Houston ( right ) had been coordinating the search effort since the JACC was formed in Perth on March 30, to coordinate the efforts of various nations scouring the south Indian Ocean for signs of MH370.
The retired Australian defence force chief and former air marshal said he, Troadec, and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein have been discussing the challenges of deep underwater searches, and said he is confident the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner will eventually be found.
“I’m here to do some preliminary consultations to enable the trilateral minister’s meeting in Canberra on Monday.
“That is a very important meeting because it would formalise the way ahead, to ensure that the search continues with urgency and doesn’t stop in any stage,” Houston told reporters.
Hishammuddin will be travelling to Canberra on Sunday to participate in the meeting with Australia and China.
Meanwhile, Troadec ( left ) said he had been sharing his experience in the two-year search in the Atlantic Ocean for Air France 447, and echoed Hishammuddin and Houston’s confidence that the missing aircraft will eventually be found, despite the challenges of the size and depth of the search area.
“I think by deploying the right assets and taking the necessary time, there is hope to find the wreckage and close this mystery,” he said.
The trio also took questions regarding the future direction of the search, such as regarding the claims made by the Australian exploration company GeoResonance that it had detected a suspicious crash site 5,000kilometres away in the Bay of Bengal.
However, Houston says Bangladesh Navy warships have been scouring the Bay of Bengal but have yet to find anything.
When asked about the MH370 preliminary report made public yesterday and how much attention should be given to past mistakes, Houston said efforts should be focused “wholly and solely” on the ongoing search.
“We need to continue the search. We owe it to the families, and I think we owe it to the flying public around the world that we continue this search, so that we can get to the bottom of what happened to MH370,” he said.
