Did Malaysia Airlines skimp on a cheap upgrade that would have helped track Flight MH370?
That is the question being asked as the search for the missing Boeing 777 and its 239 passengers enters its 13th day.
The Washington Post is reporting that an upgrade to a system called Swift — which wholesales for around $10 per flight — would have enabled MH370 to transmit data about its trajectory and position even after the plane’s transponder systems had been switched off.
A similar system enabled searchers to locate the Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. Wreckage from that plane was found within five days.
A satellite industry official, who did not wish to be named, told the newspaper that many airlines use the upgraded Swift system.
Its use is mandatory on planes flying in the North Atlantic corridor between the Europe and the US but not on other plane routes, the source said.
This story originally appeared on News.com.au.