Australia has launched an operation in search of the missing Malaysia Airline Flight MH370, scouring an area of 600,000 square kilometers off the Western Australia coast.
Xinhua reported on Tuesday quoting the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
John Young, general manager of AMSA Emergency Response Division, said that the search area is 1,500 nautical miles (3,000 km) southwest of Western Australia capital city of Perth.
Young said the search area has been developed based on information made available to AMSA on Monday, particularly information provided by United States National Transportation Safety Board.
"AMSA has defined a possible search area with information available to us from a range of sources both nationally and internationally," he said.
"What we are doing is producing our best estimate of the most likely place to search and it is far from very precise," he added.
Young said one of Australia's P-3C Orion aircraft had departed at 2pm Canberra time (0300 GMT) on Tuesday for the designated area and is expected to reach the area at 5:40pm Canberra time (0640 GMT).
Two Royal Australian Air Force P-3C Orion aircraft have been assisting the search off the coast of Malaysia since March 9. Due to the change of mission under new circumstances, they have been re-tasked to search in the southern Indian Ocean.
One P-3C Orion has been relocated from Cocos Island overnight to RAAF Base Pearce, near Perth. The other one and an additional two RAAF AP-3C Australia sent to join the search operation on Monday are relocating to Base Pearce to bring the total number of AP-3C aircraft to four.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force P3-K2 Orion and a United States Navy P-8 Poseidon will also join the Australian aircraft.
A media release by AMSA said up to five searches are expected to fly on Wednesday using AP-3C, P3-K2 and P-8 aircraft.
Young admitted that it will take "weeks" to search an area of 600,000 square kilometers with the current number of aircraft and the mission is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Young also said China has expressed willingness to join the search operation in the southern Indian Ocean. He said AMSA is in contact with China.
