"If we cannot locate the aircraft within the (first) 60,000 sq km, we will continue with the second phase of another 60,000 sq km," Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said at a press conference held after a meeting involving the three governments yesterday.

"When that search (of the two areas) is done, we would have covered 95 per cent of the aircraft's estimated flight path. But we are hopeful that we can find it in the first 60,000 sq km. We have covered only 61 per cent of it," said Datuk Seri Liow, adding that they were confident the primary search would end by next month.

Beijing-bound Flight MH370 with 239 people on board vanished soon after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 last year. Of the 227 passengers, 153 were Chinese nationals.

Liow reiterated that expanding the search would not cost as much as the A$120 million (US$93 million) for the current phase.

"It would be cheaper because the mobilisation costs are already included in the first phase, so we are expecting maybe about A$50 million or so for the next phase."

Besides Liow, the third Ministerial Tripartite Meeting to review the search efforts was attended by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuantang.

Truss said the governments were confident of finding the aircraft and stressed the importance of resolving the mystery for the sake of "the families seeking closure, aviation industry and those who travel in aircraft".

However, he warned that rough weather during the coming winter could hinder the search.

"The anticipation is that the weather will deteriorate in the winter and, therefore, there will be more down days than there are in the summer. Also, it might not be possible to use the autonomous vehicle in the rough seas and difficult conditions," he said.

"The equipment will be there and available, but it might not always be able to be deployed."

To date, the search team has covered more than 37,000 sq km, or 61 per cent of the priority area.

The three ministers said in a joint statement that opening up a new search area could prolong the mission by another year.

In January, the Malaysian government declared that the disappearance of MH370 was an "accident" and that all passengers and crew on board were presumed dead.

The intensive search is jointly funded by Australia and Malaysia.

Relatives of the Chinese passengers dispute Malaysia's declaration that the plane ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean, as determined by satellite signals.

A spokesman for a group of Chinese relatives, Jiang Hui, told The Straits Times in Beijing: "It's good they have persisted in the search but I'm not hopeful the expanded search area would lead to the plane's discovery. We are still suspicious of the evidence showing that it is in the Indian Ocean."

He added: "The search area has changed many times and the way it has been determined seems secretive, arbitrary and unscientific to us."

Bian Liangwei, whose brother was on the flight, said he found the latest news meaningless.

"We think this is just an act as they are searching blindly. It does not make sense to search in an area where no debris has been found," he said.

"The Chinese and Malaysian governments know the truth but it's just being hidden from us." (***)

Additional reporting by Esther Teo in Beijing

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