Better aircraft tracking method to be trialed in wake of Malaysia plane's disappearance

Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia will lead a new initiative to enhance the tracking of aircraft over remote oceans, allowing them to be more easily found should they vanish like Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Australia's Transport Minister Warren Truss made the announcement on Sunday, one week ahead of the anniversary of the disappearance of Flight 370. The plane vanished last year on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. No trace of the plane has been found.

The new method would enable planes to be tracked every 15 minutes, rather than the previous rate of 30 to 40 minutes.

The trial is expected to use satellite-based positioning technology already on board most long-haul aircraft.