Flight MH370 anniversary ends compensation claim deadline

The second anniversary of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been marked by a flurry of lawsuits.

Under international convention, compensation claims cannot be lodged after a two-year deadline, regardless of the aircraft’s fate.

In the case of MH Flight 370, little evidence has emerged of what happened to the Boeing 777 after its disappeared in the early hours of March 8, 2014, during a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. 

Flight 370 sent no distress signal and nothing was found of the plane by an international search that initially involved over 25 nations, including New Zealand.

The main wreckage and location of the aircraft haven’t been found despite nearly two years of deep-ocean searches in the Indian Ocean.

The only confirmed debris has been part of a wing that washed up last year on Réunion Island, off the coast of Madagascar.

More suspected debris found
Last week, a piece of debris was found on a beach in Mozambique that will be subjected to analysis to see if it comes from the missing aircraft. Another piece of suspected debris was found on Réunion on Sunday.

While the official search organisers say the plane crashed in the southern Indian Ocean off Western Australia, other theories say it was deliberately put down by the chief pilot much further north of the search area. 

Lawyers representing the families of the 227 passengers on board have advised their clients to bring claims against Malaysian Airlines, which is liable to pay compensation claims of up to $US160,000, regardless of whether the airline has been found to be at fault or not.

If families decide to claim more than that limit, as several countries allow, a lawsuit must be filed in court or a settlement may be struck between the families and the airline.

Malaysia Airlines says it “remains committed to engaging” with the families to ensure they get fair and equitable compensation. It has declined to comment on how or whether it will defend itself in lawsuits, or to offer details on settlements it had reached.

The airline says families of 118 passengers have commenced legal proceedings and settlements have been reached with 42 families.

Most of the passengers were Chinese. one New Zealander, Perth-based Paul Weeks, was also on the flight.

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