Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats. Air charter companies focus on individual private aircraft and itineraries, urgent or time-sensitive cargo, air ambulance and any other form of ad hoc air transportation. These air charter companies offer a large variety of aircraft.Package holiday companies often charter aircraft specifically for the holidays they sell.
Australia is a huge and diverse land of beauty and wonder. NTAS Air Adventures can provide guided tours of several areas of this vast continent,
including guided tours and scenic flights of Northern Australia, which take you
into the interior of this wonderful and fascinating place and travel through
some spectacular changing landscapes into the Australian outback.
On most guided tours of Northern Australia is a trip to
Mount Isa, a lovely mining town and then through Queensland and Carnooweal on
your way to the flat and interesting Northern Territory.Perhaps you’ll take a refreshing swim in the
aqua-coloured waters of the Mataranka’s thermal pool, hidden within a grove of
tall, shady palm trees.
Following this stop, you’ll head back up north. As you
travel, NTAS Air Adventure tours will take you on a cruise through the
spectacular gorge systems of the Katherine Gorge and then it’s on to the
fascinating Magnetic termite mounds, visible in the Litchfield National Park. Visitors
can swim at the lovely Florence Falls before going back to civilization in the
city of Darwin in Northern Australia.
In Darwin, NTAS Air Adventure tours will often have you stay
at a luxury hotel and will show you the areas for shopping, dining and enjoying
the nightlife at one of Darwin’s famous nightclubs.Visit the museums and the historic early
settlement in this Australian frontier city.Guided tours by open top bus of the city are available for those who
wish to see what Darwin is all about.
Next, NTAS Air Adventure tours will head east to the famous
Kakadu National Park, truly one of Australia’s most lovely wilderness refuges.In the park, you’ll see the Nourlangie Rock
which reveals original aboriginal art from thousands of years ago and you’ll be
visiting an aboriginal site where these people have lived for more than 40,000
years.
To really “see” Australia’s finest, NTAS Air Adventures can
take you on a Yellow Water Billabong Cruise, where you can snap pictures and
catch sight of Australia’s many crocodiles, snakes, dingos and other water life
easily found in the Kakadu region.
Another favourite spot for NTAS Air Adventure guided tours
of Northern Australia is the Manyallaluk Aboriginal Cultural Center where
you’ll see how the native peoples lived and continue to live today.Demonstrations show you how to throw a spear
and create fire the natural way.This
center is run by the indigenous peoples themselves so you’ll get a really
authentic experience.There are places
to shop for aboriginal souvenirs.
NTAS Air Adventure Guided tours of Northern Australia take
you back to the aboriginal life and help you explore the Australian Outback in
ways few people have been able to do.The sights and attractions are many and it’s a great trip for the whole
family.
Chartering a Private Aircraft versus Buying Your
Own
Are you interested in chartering a private aircraft?If so, have you done so
before?If this is your first time
chartering a private aircraft, you may not know that you that may be able to choose
your own aircraft.There are a large number
of private jet chartering companies that have fleets of aircraft or more than one
type of aircraft. When this is the case, it is not uncommon for you to be able to choose
your own private aircraft to charter.While
this is nice to do, there are some instances, where it may be more of a hassle
than anything else.That is why you are
urged to examine the advantages and disadvantages of choosing your own private aircraft to charter.
The most obvious benefit of choosing your
own private aircraft to charter is the fact that you can have exactly what you
want.It is no secret that aircraft come in
all different sizes, shapes, and styles. There are some aircraft that are designed
for those traveling on business; these aircraft tend to have a small number of passenger seats, but a large amount of conference room space or working space.
There are also aircraft that are designed to accommodate a large number of
passengers, like an organization that is chartering a private aircraft for a
trip.Choosing your own private aircraft will
not only make sure that you have enough room for all of your passengers, but it
will also help to ensure that room is room that you can use.
Another benefit or advantage to choosing
which particular private aircraft you would like to charter is satisfaction.One of the most common reasons why people
choose to charter private aircraft is because they want a personalized, private
flight.Many of those who charter an aircraft are fed up with the hassles and discomforts of commercial airline travel. For many, chartering a private aircraft is enough to create satisfaction,
but why not take it a step further?Choosing your own private aircraft will virtually ensure that you have a good
flight and good traveling experience, because you chose the aircraft yourself.
Although there are a number of benefits or
advantages to choosing your own private aircraft to charter, there are also a number
of disadvantages to doing so as well. One of those disadvantages is the
cost.There are a small number of
private aircraft chartering companies that charge an extra fee to handpick the
private aircraft of your choice.While this
fee, if it even exists, is small, it is enough to notice.It is also important to note that many
private aircraft chartering companies charge more money for their highly requested
aircraft.If you are looking to choose an aircraft
that is popular, you may find it a little bit more expensive to charter that
plane.
Another disadvantage to choosing which private aircraft you would like to charter is availability.When it comes to availability, there are two
main instances where a problem may arise.For starters, you may find that your first choice aircraft is not available
for the time frame that you need it.This is most commonly seen with a certain type of jet aircraft, like one
that is ideal for those traveling for business.The higher an aircraft comes rated and recommended, the harder it may be to
get available reservations. With this in mind, if you choose to do business
with large aircraft chartering company, you should have a number of aircraft to choose
from.
Another aspect of availability that may not
work out to your advantage, when choosing your own private aircraft, is
location.Many private aircraft charteringcompanies have aircraft scattered across Australia.If you are looking to charter an aircraft in Melbourne, but the jet
of your choice is located in Brisbane,
you may have a problem.Unless that aircraft
will be making a one-way trip to Melbourne
right around the time that you requesting a charter, you may need to pay an
extra fee to get the aircraft of your choice.In some instances, it is not uncommon to have an aircraft chartering company
refuse your request for a particular aircraft; however, as previously mentioned,
there should be others for you to choose from.
As you can see, there are a number of
advantages and disadvantages to handpicking your privately chartered aircraft.When making your finial decision, it is
advised that you keep the above mentioned points in mind.
Airport Security Checkpoints: What You Need to Know
In recent years, as well as recent months, air travel rules have changed. If you are planning on flying, you will find that most of these changes have occurred right at airports, namely airport security checkpoints. If you are about to head off to catch a flight, whether you leave tomorrow or in two weeks, it is advised that you famialrize yourself with these new air travel rules, namely the ones that are enforced at airport security checkpoints.
When it comes to airport security checkpoints, there are many passengers who only think of one checkpoint, but the reality is that there are actually three. The first checkpoint is when you go to register for your seat on the plane. This is the time when you will be presented with your boarding passes and when you must hand over the luggage that you would like checked. In addition to handing over your plane tickets or requesting your boarding passes, you will need to show the proper forms of identification. These items most commonly include a driver’s license or a government issued identification card.
Once you have received all of your boarding passes, for all of your flights, you will need to hand over your luggage that you will be leaving below in the plane. These bags are commonly referred to as checked baggage or checked luggage. As with your carryon luggage, your checked baggage will need to be checked for prohibited items. In the past, only a small number of bags were hand checked, but now almost all are. Many of these checks are quick look-overs, but you may be subject to a random, extensive search. This search often includes the checking of all baggage compartments, as well as the wiping of a cloth, which is looking for powdery substances.
When you have been cleared to the next stage, you will need to go through the main airport security checkpoints. This point is where you will be required to have your carryon luggage scanned by an x-ray machine. You will also need to walk through a metal detector. In the past, only random travelers were asked to remove their shoes for checking. At the current time, all air travelers, with the exception of those with a disability or hindering medical condition, are required to remove their shoes. Your shoes will be x-rayed, along with the rest of your carryon luggage.
By familiarizing yourself with the items that are banned aboard an airplane, including items that are only prohibited from being stored in your carryon luggage, an unnecessary incident could be prevented. In the event that you are found carrying a prohibited item, certain steps will be taken. Depending on the item in question, you may be required to return the item to you car, discard of it, mail it to your home, or turn it over to http://ntas.com.au
Airline approved pet carriers are a must for getting precious cargo from one place to another in safety. There are many different choices to consider in pet transportation systems. It is important to make sure that the unit you choose meets the standards of air travel regulations for animals.
Different airlines may have individual requirements that vary from one air travel organization to another. Make some considerations when investing in a pet carrier approved for airline flight. It is wise to adopt a unit that is standard for a number of different travel companies.
Size is a crucial factor in choosing pet carriers that are airline approved. You definitely want your pet to travel in comfort. The ideal animal transporter should be nice and cozy while providing adequate space for your pet to travel comfortably.
Some airline approved pet carriers can be checked in as carry-on items. This is the ideal situation for most animal lovers who don’t like the idea of having to be separated from their travel companions.
These pet transporters are typically designed for the smaller dogs and cats.
The standard pet shipper that can be used as a carry on item will be able to fit comfortably under the seat right in front of you. Of course, sizes will vary according to the size of the dog and the size of airline approved pet carriers for carry on travel.
Check out the details before packing.
Style and design is another factor to consider in portable carriers for pets. There are a number of different looks that you may want to consider for your furry travel companion.
The ideal unit is designed to keep the animal comfortable and safe while on the move. It should suit the airline requirements for carry on pet transporters. It should suit the size of the animal and it should suit your taste.
The types of airlines approved pet carriers include everything from totes to kennel-style designs. Personal preference is the deciding factor with many of these items. If they are approved for flight travel then they are probably safe and well-tested. The freedom to choose from different varieties of pet transportation devices is very appealing.
One design that stands out offers a softer alternative to the plastic-and-metal versions. These airline approved pet carriers are soft and have a lot of movement. They resemble duffle bags and they are made of mesh material that allows the pet to see well.
Travel with a furry companion doesn’t have to be a burden. If you have the right airline approved pet carriers at your disposal you will have a great experience.
Shipping your
dog or cat
You will find
here information to assist you in making transportation arrangements for dogs
and cats with the airlines.
First questions
before booking
When do you
want your pet to travel?
If you ship yourpet as air freight, check with the airline to ensure the air freight facility
is open so your pet may be claimed by the consignee.
Transport of
snub nose dogs, such as boxers, pugs, bulldogs and Pekinese, in hot season isnot recommended.
These animals have difficulty in maintaining a normal body temperature in
hot weather.
Note that it is
preferable to ship your pet on week days as all staff are working and liaison
is easier all along the route.
Contact the airline you have selected to confirm that they accept your pet on the day
and flight that you prefer. Some airlines restrict the number of animals on a flight so the more advance notice you give them the better it is.
Where is your
pet traveling to?
Is your pet
going to travel within your own country, or will it be traveling
internationally? Do you intend to break the journey, or stopover at an
intermediate station? What is the pet's final destination?
Only small dogs
and cats can go in the cabin. Some airlines may not even allow them
in, and will transport them as special baggage in a heated and ventilated
hold. Do not worry, cats and dogs actually travel better this way because it is
quieter and they will rest in a darkened environment.
Do you have a
suitable container for your pet?
It is important
you purchase the right sized container for your animal. Airlines use the
following indications to ensure the animal has enough space to turn about
normally while standing, to stand and sit erect, and to lie in a natural
position.
Note:IATA
does not certify, approve, endorse, or sell any particular pet container
manufacturer, brand , make, or model. Equally so, IATA does not offer, solicit,
endorse, or approve any particular pet or puppy transport or relocation
services, regardless of whether these be offered via email or the
internet. Readers should pay attention to fraudulent offerings that claim the
opposite.
Should you decide
to build your own wooden crate, verify with the airline if they accept custom
build containers. For certain dogs, airlines may mandate the use of containers
of a different more sturdy design than those of Container Requirement 1 (CR1).
It is equally important to ensure that all locking mechanisms function properly
and that the animal can not distort, gnaw at or push in/out the wire mesh or
the pieces holding the mesh of the door. So, the mesh must be firmly
attached to the door, not stapled.
Food and water
containers (troughs) accessible from outside the container are required. The
carrier, or government agency, may require that additional food be provided in
a pouch attached to the container with feeding instructions.
The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Welfare Act (AWA) states that
"no
more than two live puppies or kittens, 8 weeks to 6 months of age, that are of
comparable size and weighing 20 lb. (9 kg) or less each, may be transported in
the same primary enclosure via air carrier." This is a good practice to
follow for all animal shipments, no matter what country they are traveling in.
Remember,
animals may become stressed and aggressive when traveling by air and should not
be placed in the same container unless they are young puppies or kittens.
Animals which share the same household may become stressed and aggressive
towards each other when traveling by air.
Four orange objects spotted in Indian Ocean as the batteries in the black box of a missing Malaysia Airlines jet are running out. Gavino Garay reports.
The Australian ship Ocean Shield prepares to set sail from near Perth in the search for debris from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370Source:AP
AN Australian aircraft has spotted four orange-coloured objects in the ocean off Western Australia as the search intensifies for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370.
The four objects were more than two metres in size and sighted by the crew of an Australian P3 Orion search plane, said the pilot, Flight Lt Russell Adams, after returning to base.
“I must stress that we can’t confirm the origin of these objects,’’ he said, adding that images of the items have yet to be verified, and a GPS buoy was dropped and ships must still investigate.
Flt Lt Adams said it was “the most visibility we had of any objects in the water and gave us the most promising leads.’’
The sightings are just the latest in a number of leads that have so far produced no confirmed debris from the Boeing 777, which went missing on March 8 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard, including six Australians.
The search for clues will go more hi-tech today when an Australian navy vessel heads out into the Indian Ocean from Perth with special equipment able to detect signals from the black box flight recorders on the missing flight.
HUNT: Goes hi-tech
The Ocean Shield was due within the Indian Ocean search zone early today to join an international array of ships and aircraft scouring the seas for any sign of the lost plane.
The specialist US Navy technology on board the Ocean Shield will not be able to detect the “pinger’’ within the plane’s flight recorders until a more confined search area is identified.
It had been feared the 30-day life of the black boxes could expire before the equipment arrives.
But Captain Mark Matthews, the US Navy supervisor of salvage and diving, says the recorders are certified for 30 days but could last up to 15 days longer than that.
Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy said the focus was still to find debris and confirm it was from flight MH370, then work backwards to a possible crash site.
“The search area remains vast and this equipment can only be effectively employed when there is a high probability that the final location of Flight MH370 is better known,’’ he said.
The Ocean Shield is also carrying an unmanned submersible vehicle which can be used to sonar map and photograph debris on the sea floor if the black box signal is located.
Although a number of satellite cameras and aircraft crews have spotted objects in the water, no confirmed debris from the Boeing 777 has been picked up by surface vessels.
Officials yesterday said the first debris picked up by ships combing an updated search area about 1850km west of Perth was not from the stricken plane.
“It appeared to be fishing equipment and just rubbish on the (ocean’s) surface,’’ said a spokesman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is in charge of the operation.
For a full week, searchers relied on satellite imagery from various countries as they tried to find the plane in a zone to the south of the current area. They abruptly shifted the site on Friday after authorities concluded the plane could not have travelled as far as they had thought based on its estimated speed and fuel consumption.
The search area is so big that investigators are first hoping to find floating debris so they could set a smaller zone using sophisticated analysis to determine a location from where the pieces drifted. Even if they do that, recovering the flight recorders could be complicated.
Despite the huge area, one advantage is the seabed of the search zone is generally flat, with the exception of a steep slope and a deep trench near its southern end.
The area is dominated by a muddy ocean floor known as Broken Ridge, which is actually a plateau where depths range from as shallow as about 800 metres to about 3000 metres.
At the edge of the plateau closest to Antarctica is the Diamantina trench, which has been found to be as deep as 5800 metres within the confines of the search zone, although it could be deeper in places that have not been measured.
Captain Matthews said the Navy’s ping locator has the “capability to do search-and-recovery operations down to a depth of 20,000 feet.’’
Information on the flight data and cockpit voice recorders may help investigators resolve what happened on Flight 370. Speculation includes equipment failure, a botched hijacking, terrorism or an act by one of the pilots.
Ships Recover Unidentified Objects in Flight
370 Search
By Michael Sin and Iain
McDonaldMar
30, 2014 8:23 AM GMT+1100
Source: Australian Maritime Safety Authority via
Bloomberg
This handout satellite image made available by the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority...
This handout satellite image made available by the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority shows a map of the planned search area for missing Malaysian Airline
System Bhd. Flight MH370 on March 29, 2014.
Source: Australian Maritime
Safety Authority via Bloomberg
This handout satellite image made available by the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority shows a map of the planned search area for missing Malaysian Airline
System Bhd. Flight MH370 on March 29,
2014.
Australian and Chinese ships recovered unidentified objects from the Indian Ocean as the
search for Malaysian Air Flight 370 enters its fourth week. Australia’s HMAS Success
and China’s Haixun 01
retrieved “a number of objects from the ocean but so far no objects confirmed to
be related” to the missing plane, the Australian Maritime Safety
Authority said in a statement
yesterday.
It was the first time in the search that material had been picked up. The
U.K.’s Daily Mail cited Chinese state media as saying that three objects turned
out to be pieces of rubbish.
Six ships are on the way to the revised search zone, bringing the total to 10
in the international effort, the Australian agency said in a morning update. In
addition, the HMAS Toowoomba frigate left Perth last night and should arrive to
the search area in about three days, it said. Eight aircraft sighted multiple
items yesterday in a search area that covered about 252,000 square kilometers
(97,300 square miles), while 10 planes will be involved in today’s search.
White, red and orange “suspicious objects” had been seen as the Chinese ship
Jinggangshan, carrying two helicopters, joined the Haixun 01 in the search area,
the official Xinhua news agency said. Equipment from the U.S. Navy to track the
plane’s black box recorder has arrived in Perth and will be deployed when needed,
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said
yesterday. Source:AFP/Getty Images
Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, center, speaks as
Ahmad...
Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, center, speaks as
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, chief executive officer of Malaysian Airline System Bhd.
(MAS), left and Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia's
Department of Civil Aviation, look on during a news conference at the Putra
World Trade Center (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur on March 28, 2014.
Source:AFP/Getty Images
Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, center, speaks as
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, chief executive officer of Malaysian Airline System Bhd.
(MAS), left and Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia's
Department of Civil Aviation, look on during a news conference at the Putra
World Trade Center (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur on March 28,
2014.
Large Area
Time may be running out as the battery-powered beacons that help locate the
black boxes on the Boeing Co. (BA)’s 777
last about 30 days. The latest lead in the search was based on radar and
performance data as the jet flew between the South China Sea and
Malacca Strait, authorities said. It shows the jet moved faster, using more
fuel, and may not have crashed as far south as estimated earlier.
“This is still an attempt to search a very large area, and for surface
debris, which will give us an indication of where the main aircraft wreckage is
likely to be,” Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian
Transport Safety Bureau, said March 28 in Canberra. “This has a long way to
go yet.”
Examinations of the home flight simulator of the jet’s captain, Zaharie Ahmad
Shah, haven’t found anything sinister, Malaysia’s Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein
said yesterday. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Britain’s MI6 and Chinese
intelligence agencies are helping with the investigation, he said.
FBI Analysis
Technicians from the U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation have almost finished extracting data from the pilot’s digital
media, which include the hard drive from his flight simulator, and the bureau is
almost halfway done in the analysis of that data, said a U.S. official, speaking
on condition of anonymity because the probe remains active. The official said no
smoking gun has emerged thus far, though the FBI’s work won’t be complete for
another few days or a week.
Even then, the official said, what may seem irrelevant now may take on new
significance in light of future developments or information gleaned in the
multinational investigation into what occurred on the plane.
The new search zone is 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) to the northeast of the
previous
area, off Australia’s west coast. Investigators narrowed in on the area with an
analysis assuming that Flight 370 traveled at close to constant velocity.
P3 Orion
A New Zealand P3 Orion
patrol plane found 11 objects inside a small radius, about 1,600 kilometers
directly west of Perth, Air Vice-Marshall Kevin Short, commander of joint forces
New Zealand said in a telephone interview yesterday. While the objects were
mostly rectangular, white and less than 1 meter (3.3 feet) in size, there was a
larger, slightly blue object and another colored orange and about the size of a
shipping buoy.
Five aircraft spotted “multiple objects of various colors” before the search
concluded on March 28, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, or
AMSA.
Yesterday’s search was conducted in suitable conditions that may deteriorate,
AMSA said. The search area is about 1,850 kilometers west of Perth and spans
319,000 square kilometers, compared with an 80,000-kilometer region scoured on
March 27.
Because the latest search zone is closer to Australia than previous
locations, aircraft have more time over the ocean. The hunt also moves outside
of the so-called Roaring Forties, a region between the 40th and 50th degrees of
latitude south known for strong winds and wave conditions. Ocean depth in the
area ranges from 2,000 meters to 4,000 meters.
Credible Lead
“This is the most credible lead to where debris may be located,” AMSA said.
Along with Chinese and Australian vessels, the Australian
Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation is redirecting satellites to scan the
region as well. The Federal Aviation
Administration and the U.K.’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch are also
assisting the search.
“You’ve practically got everybody in the aviation industry involved in the
search and rescue,” Hishammuddin told reporters after meeting with the families
of passengers. “This is the best time for everybody to relook, not only on the
question of the aviation landscape but also on the issue of security and
defense.”
The search for Flight 370 initially focused on the Gulf of Thailand, south of Vietnam, before switching to the Malacca Strait and Andaman
Sea after radar data showed that the plane had backtracked west across the
Malaysian peninsula.
No Survivors
The hunt was then extended thousands of miles from the original search zone
after analysis of satellite signals suggested the plane had continued flying for
five hours in one of two possible arcs over the Indian Ocean or Asian landmass.
Inmarsat Plc (ISAT)
concluded last week that the profile of satellite pings showed the jet
definitely took the southern arc, prompting Malaysian
Airline System Bhd. (MAS) to say that the 777 had crashed into the ocean and
that there was no hope of survivors.
Satellite sightings had appeared to be helping the multinational search to
home in on wreckage from the aircraft that vanished on March 8 with 239
passengers and crew.
Photos from a Thai orbiter on March 24 showed more than 300 objects measuring
2 meters to 15 meters floating 2,700 kilometers southwest of Perth, an area
close to prior sightings from space. A Japanese satellite detected a dozen
pieces of possible debris in a March 26 image, Kyodo News Service said.
No Wreckage
Areas where satellite images had previously shown objects in the ocean were
checked and no plane wreckage had been found, Andrea Hayward-Maher, an AMSA
spokeswoman, said on March 28.
Since the focus shifted to the southern Indian Ocean more than a week ago,
planes have made multiple sightings of debris, including a wooden pallet with
straps and unidentified green and
orange objects, none of which have been recovered.
The Malaysian aircraft may have cruised steadily across the Indian Ocean
after diverting from its route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, according
to Inmarsat. The jet flew over the equator and away from the satellite,
according to analysis by the engineers, spokesman Chris McLaughlin said.
Recovery of the data and cockpit-voice recorders from the 777, which can emit
pings for 30 days after becoming immersed in water, would help investigators
decipher the plane’s movements and its pilots’ actions in the hours after
contact was lost.
The search for debris is critical so “we can reverse-forecast the wind,
current and sea state since March 8 to recreate the position where MH370
possibly went into the water,” Commander Tom Moneymaker, an oceanographer with
the U.S. 7th Fleet, said in a Navy News Service article.
Flight MH370 was crashed into the Indian Ocean in an alleged suicide mission, according to unnamed sources quoted by a major British newspaper
"Well-placed sources" investigating the Boeing 777's disappearance believe no malfunction or fire was capable of causing the plane's dramatically-altered flight path or disabling the communications system before it headed towards the Indian Ocean and crashed after a seven-hour silent flight, UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph reports.
All analysis of the plane's available data suggest it was flown "in a rational way", according to an unnamed official.
"This has been a deliberate act by someone on board who had to have had the detailed knowledge to do what was done," the source told the newspaper.
"Nothing is emerging that points to motive."
The official said suggestions of an on-board fire or systems malfunction "just does not hinge together".
March 25, 2014: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announces that according to new data, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 ended in the Southern Ocean.
"(The investigators) have gone through processes you do to get the plane where it flew to for eight hours. They point to it being flown in a rational way."
Why did MH370 fly to the Indian Ocean?
The Malaysian government is yet to publicly reveal if it supports the suicide mission theory following the announcement this morning by the country's prime minister that investigators had concluded beyond a doubt that "flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean".
Until such public announcement is made there will continue to be broad speculation about what led to the passenger jet's demise.
It has been suspected, especially in the early days of the investigation, that the plane may have crashed after an explosion on board, possibly the result of a bomb.
If such an explosion was not powerful enough to bring down the plane, it has been speculated that it may have caused a sudden decompression that rendered everyone on board unconscious and resulted in the aircraft being flown on autopilot until it ran out of fuel.
March 25, 2014: Distraught families and loved ones of those on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 learn the fate of the missing jet.
CNN reports that a "viable explanation" is a mechanical malfunction. Boeing 777 pilot Les Abend, who has 29 years of flying experience, says that while his views are speculative he believes based on the known evidence that a mechanical concern would be most likely and the plane might indeed have flown on autopilot in its final hours.
Similarly, the Mail Online reports that the news that MH370 definitely crashed in the southern Indian Ocean may prove Canadian pilot Chris Goodfellow's theory that the crew on board had been overcome by smoke.
The theory by the veteran pilot, which has been widely discussed online, predicts the plane was in trouble and simply heading for the nearest safe airport when it turned off course.
Mr Goodfellow's proposed series of events would hail the plane's captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah a hero trying to save the doomed flight.
However, theories about on-board problems have not completely explained why no mayday call was made, although there is suggestion the primary radios may have been destroyed by fire.
According to the timeline of events, the plane's communications systems were turned off after it dramatically changed its course away from its destination of Beijing.
That evidence has resulted in substantial investigations into the possibility it had been hijacked or used for a terrorist attack.
The backgrounds of the plane's pilot and co-pilot have been extensively investigated by authorities, as evidence grew that the plane was being operated by professionals and there had been no sign someone else had taken over its controls.
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