KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not intend to close the book on the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, given that a new lead arises on the aircraft's location.
March 8 will mark the 9th year since the plane's disappearance in 2014.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook in a statement reiterated that the government will take account of future search operations with the help of reliable information.
"Due consideration will be given to future search operations should there be new and credible information on the potential location of the aircraft's final resting place.
"I am painfully aware of the desire for closure. Since 2014, Malaysia and its international partners have searched millions of square kilometres through air, ship and undersea operations.
"To the families of the 239 passengers and crew members on board the lost aircraft, no amount of sympathy can erase the grief and heartache of losing your loved ones.
"Malaysians will always stand by you and share the weight of this tribulation. We honour the lives lost and will not forget them," he said.
MH370 was an international passenger flight operated by MAS that disappeared on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to its planned destination, Beijing Capital International Airport.