Australia, China and Malaysia are expected to suspend – not cancel – the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 as the likelihood of finding wreckage is fading.
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The decision was expected, given the drawn-out search for the aircraft is down to the last 10 per cent of the designated search area.
Rough winter weather has disrupted the search in the southern Indian Ocean.
The $180 million search had been expected to finish by last month and could now finish in spring.
Ministers from Australia, China and Malaysia met on Friday in the Malaysian federal administrative centre of Putrajaya.
The three nations had already agreed in April last year that should the aircraft not be located within the 120,000 square kilometre search area and in the absence of any new credible evidence, the search area would not be extended.
In their communique, Malaysian Minister of Transport, Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester and the Chinese Minister of Transport, Yang Chuantang, said they had discussed the disruption to the search.
"While acknowledging the significance of the debris, ministers noted that to date, none of it had provided information that positively identified the precise location of the aircraft," they said.
"With less than 10,000 square kilometres of the high priority search area remaining to be searched, ministers acknowledged that despite the best efforts of all involved, the likelihood of finding the aircraft is fading.
"Ministers agreed that should the aircraft not be located in the current search area, and in the absence of credible new evidence leading to the identification of a specific location of the aircraft, the search would not end, but be suspended upon completion of the 120,000 square kilometre search area.
"The suspension does not mean the termination of the search. Ministers reiterated that the aspiration to locate MH370 has not been abandoned.
"Should credible new information emerge which can be used to identify the specific location of the aircraft, consideration will be given in determining next steps."
This week, a large piece of aircraft debris – possibly from MH370 – was examined in Canberra.
Officials from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the large piece of what is likely to be a wing flap was found by locals on Pemba Island, just off the coast of Tanzania, Africa on June 23.
