MALAYSIA Airlines Bhd should upgrade its “flight-following system”, known as Flight Explorer, to a global real-time tracking system, said the MH370 Safety Investigation Report.

The recommendation is among eight made to MAS in the 449-page safety report released in Putrajaya today.

The other recommendations include ensuring flight crew members report any serious ailments; having crew members’ medical records include reports from different panel clinics; and, reviewing the reporting system on crew members’ health if it poses a risk to the safety of aircraft operations.

MAS is also told to ensure that personnel manning flight surveillance systems are sufficiently trained.

The report suggested that MAS introduce new security measures for scanning cargo, and develop a “quick reference for its operations control centre” to cover abnormal situations.

The recommendations are among a total of 19 suggestions made to the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia, Vietnam, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The safety investigation team, led by Kok Soo Chon, wants the Department of Civil Aviation to review procedures between Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Joint ATC Centre whenever radar controllers spot an unidentified primary target.

It also recommended that KL ATC improve working conditions for its radar controllers and develop a quick reference manual for emergency situations, as well as review the trading syllabus for ATC personnel.

The MH370 Safety Investigation Report comes four and a half years after MAS flight MH370 went missing while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

The report concluded that the plane diverted from its route 40 minutes after take-off, and that the aircraft’s transponder signal had ceased and was no longer visible on ATC radar display.

The report said both the KL and Ho Chih Minh ATCs failed to follow procedures, thus delaying the search for MH370.

It recommended that ICAO review the effectiveness of ELTs, or emergency beacons, that are fitted onto passenger aircraft.

In the MH370 incident, all four ELTs on board did not work, complicating the search for the Boeing 777 jet. – July 30, 2018.