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‘Don’t stop MH370 search’: pilots’ union

Australia’s largest union of pilots has urged the federal government to not give up on the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

With new evidence suggesting the pilot intentionally brought down the missing plane, the union chief says the search should continue, instead of stopping in order to save costs, The Australian has reported.

“The idea that they are not going to search for the airplane to finality is a serious precedent in all aviation,” the president of the Australian Federation of Air Pilots, David Booth told the newspaper.

“This is critical to me as an aviator … the airplane’s missing, we need to find the airplane.

“Presumably the government doesn’t want to put another $200 million into a search, as well as embarrass the Malaysians.”

The pilot union, which represents more than 4500 airline and commercial pilots, aims to put pressure on the government to reconsider its decision to end its search after the current 120,000sq km is covered.

The Boeing 777 was reportedly brought down by the captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, who hijacked his own aircraft on March 8, 2014.

It was discovered late last month Mr Zaharie had practiced a similar route on a home flight simulator to the one taken by MH370.

The route saw the flight divert back over the Malaysia-Thai border, before flying beyond the Andaman Sea and turning for a long trip south to the southern Indian Ocean.

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