The search and rescue mission for the missing MH370 Malaysia Airlines aircraft was launched at 5.30am today, the Department of Civil Aviation said.
 
DCA chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said it was too dark to operate before that.
 
"We lost contact with the aircraft at 1.30am, and checked with air traffic controllers in the region who also confirmed that it was not on their radar. We then informed MAS at 2.40am.
 
"We activated rescue control at 5.30am because we had to gather information and assistance from neighbouring countries. At 5.30am it is still dark.
 
"We went to the area (where the plane was last spotted on radar) at first light," he said.
 
He was asked on the standard operating procedure for rescue missions and why there was a gap of several hours after the plane disappeared before the mission was launched.

Last contact was 'normal'

He added that last contact with flight captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and first officer Fariq Ab Hamid was "normal" and not a distress call.
 
"Before an aircraft leave the Malaysian airspace to the Vietnamese airspace, it is normal for the Subang air traffic controllers to 'transfer' the aircraft to Ho Chi Minh City (controllers)," he said.
 
In the last verbal communication, he said that both Ho Chi Minh City and the pilot acknowledged the transfer.
 
On investigations, Azharuddin added that the United States Federal Aviation Administration has offered assistance to find out what had happened to the 11-year-old Boeing 777-200.
 
The DCA has acknowledged the offer but said that it needs more information before launching the probe.
 
"We have assembled a technical team... to get evidence," he said, noting that manufacturer Boeing is also in the loop.
 
The manifest shows that 239 passengers and crew were on board the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight which left KLIA at 12.40am.
 
There were 152 are Chinese nationals while 38 are Malaysian, including 12 crew members. The rest are from 12 other nations.
 
The flight was due to arrive in Beijing at 6.30am, and had fuel to last until 8.30am.