Malaysia Airlines (MAS) said today that the expired battery for its underwater locator beacon (ULB) would not make any difference in the search for the missing MH370 jetliner, following revelation in yesterday's interim report that the beacon battery for the flight data recorder had expired more than a year earlier.It admitted that it was a maintenance scheduling oversight, but said a similar ULB unit was also installed with the Solid State Cockpit Voice Recorder (SSCVR) and as such, the battery life was still valid on the day of the incident on March 8, 2014.
"The SSCVR battery would have been transmitting for 30 days upon activation when immersed in water," the statement said.
Beijing-bound flight MH370, with 227 passengers and 12 crew members, went missing from radar screen about an hour after it departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8 last year.
Yesterday, a 584-page interim report into the disappearance of the Boeing 777-200ER said the beacon battery for the flight data recorder had expired in December 2012 and was not replaced.
As stated in the findings of the report, the Engineering Maintenance System was not updated correctly when the ULB battery was first installed.
MAS said this was a maintenance scheduling oversight.
Welcoming the report published by the Transport Ministry, MAS said it would continue to cooperate with investigations and act on recommendations in the final report.
"MAS lost 13 dear friends and colleagues on board the flight. We also want to find all of the answers as fast as possible," the statement said.
Meanwhile, on the consignment of Motorola Lithium-ion batteries, MAS said they were physically inspected by MASKargo personnel in Penang and customs inspectors, prior to being sealed leaving the Penang Cargo Complex.
"The inspection procedures followed for this consignment are in line with those defined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation." it said.
In terms of improvements of safety, MAS said it has taken steps in response to the loss of the plane.
The airline said it consistently adhered to the standards required by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme, as part of its compliance with IATA membership requirements.
This month, MAS said it would voluntarily adopt the Enhanced IATA Operational Safety Audit to further enhance operational safety and security practices.
"Flight tracking and monitoring procedures are being enhanced. We have upgraded our Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) across the entire MAS fleet.
"Since December 2014, the B777 fleet ACARS position report intervals have been changed from the 30 minute ACARS protocol previously in place, to match the recent ICAO mandated 15 minute reporting interval.
"Our B737-8, A330 and A380 fleet are now set at 10 minute reporting intervals.
It added it was also preparing to upgrade flight tracking application using the SITA system.
"Once implemented, every aircraft will be tracked using ADS-B, Ground Radar and ACARS. This will allow the dispatcher to see both the aircraft’s actual track and projected track.
"Flight planning and flight monitoring is also now better integrated." it said. – March 9, 2015.
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