India says search for missing Malaysian plane put on hold while efforts reassessed

9M-MRO, the aircraft involved in the incident, at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in 2011 in an old livery. (Wikipedia photo)

NEW DELHI – Massive Indian navy and air search operations for the missing Malaysian jetliner were suspended Sunday as Malaysia sought technical assistance from New Delhi in corroborating the possible paths that the plane might have taken after losing contact with air control traffic controllers, officials said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak called his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, on the phone Sunday and requested technical assistance, an Indian official said. Singh assured Najib that India would provide all possible assistance, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Earlier in the day, India suspended search operations until fresh areas could be identified by Malaysia’s government, said Col. Harmit Singh, spokesman for India’s tri-services command.

He also said coast guard ships had reverted to routine surveillance in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

“Air and sea operations for today have been put on hold,” Singh said.

The plane, which was carrying 239 people, disappeared March 8 on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.

The Indian navy and air force’s co-ordinated search for the last three days has covered more than 250,000 square kilometres (100,579 square miles) in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal without any sighting of the Boeing 777.

“So far no sighting or detection has been reported by the units deployed for searches in various designated areas,” India’s Defence Ministry said in a statement Sunday.

“The Malaysian authorities have now indicated that based on investigation, the search operations have entered a new phase and a strategy for further searches is being formulated. Accordingly, search operations have been suspended and all Indian assets earmarked for search operations have been placed on standby,” the statement said.

Nearly a dozen Indian ships, patrol vessels, surveillance aircraft and helicopters have scoured the region. India intensified the search on Saturday by deploying two recently acquired P8i long-range maritime patrol and one C-130J Hercules aircraft. A short-range maritime reconnaissance Dornier aircraft was also deployed.

Vinod Patney, a retired air force officer, said it was unlikely – but not impossible – for an aircraft to intrude a country’s airspace undetected.

Officials said there was effective radar coverage in the region, with a large number of flights between Europe and Southeast Asian using this route. Also, India has tightened security in the area, which is a strategic shipping lane for oil tankers.