MH370 transcript

PETALING JAYA: The full transcript of communications between Flight MH370 and the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control has been released, revealing nothing 'abnormal'.

Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein said the transcript had been shared with the families of passengers.

"There is no indication of anything abnormal in the transcript," said Hishammuddin in a statement on Tuesday.

"The transcript was initially held as part of the police investigation," he said.

Hishammuddin said that previously, MAS had stated initial investigations indicated the voice which signed off was that of the co-pilot. 

"The police are working to confirm this belief, and forensic examination of the actual recording is ongoing," Hishammuddin added.

The 43 separate transmissions over nearly 54 minutes are thick with air-traffic and navigational jargon, giving no hint of trouble aboard the ill-fated plane.

The transcript concludes with Malaysian air traffic control first bidding MH370 "good night", as it instructs the pilots next to contact controllers in Vietnam, over which the plane was due to fly.

The final entry from just after 1.19am comes from one of the two MH370 pilots, who said: "Good night, Malaysian three seven zero".

The transcript - and particularly the final words from MH370 - have been the subject of much speculation following earlier statements by authorities and the airline that the last transmission from the plane was a casual "All right, good night". 

The Malaysian Boeing 777-200ER, with 239 passengers and crew on board, vanished on March 8, about an hour after the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight took off from the KL International Airport at 12.41am.

On March 24, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced that the flight path of MH370 ended in a remote region of the southern Indian Ocean based on detailed analysis of satellite data.

Malaysian authorities believed that up until the point at which the plane left military primary radar coverage, MH370's movements were consistent with deliberate action by someone on the aircraft. 

'New credible lead' in MH370 search

Australian authorities say the search area for the missing Malaysian airliner has shifted because of a "new credible lead".

The revised search area comes as the weather cleared today in the southern Indian Ocean to allow planes to hunt for fresh clues to the fate of the plane that went missing on March 8.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been briefed on new radar data analysis which has prompted authorities to shift the search area 1100km to the northeast, following updated advice from the international investigation team in Malaysia.

The analysis is of radar data between the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca before contact with MH370 was lost.

The new area is 319,000sq km and about 1850km west of Perth.

"This is a credible new lead and will be thoroughly investigated," Mr Abbott said.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the data indicated the aircraft was travelling faster than previously estimated, resulting in increased fuel usage and reducing the possible distance it travelled south into the Indian Ocean.

"The potential flight path may be the subject of further refinement as the international investigative team supporting the search continues their analysis," the AMSA said.

Source: AP/AAP