The search for the missing Malaysia Airliner is “much more difficult” than the hunt for the Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, according to a French air accident investigator.
"It's very different from the Air France case. The Malaysian situation is much more difficult," Jean Paul Troadec, a special adviser to France's aviation accident investigation bureau, told The Associated Press.
It took investigators two years to find the fuselage and flight recorder of Flight 447, an aircraft that crashed in the Atlantic in 2009. In that case, investigators were able to rely on distress signals.
Authorities say the Malaysian airliner's communications links were deliberately severed ahead of its mysterious disappearance.
The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people was purposely diverted from its flight path during an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8. Suspicion has fallen on anyone aboard the plane with aviation experience.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.