The report which was released on Monday, clarified some more information on the dissapearance of the airliner during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board–forming one of the biggest mysteries in modern aviation history.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the report had highlighted failures by air traffic control to comply with standard operating procedures, but had not suggested the aviation authority was to blame for the loss of the aircraft.
“Therefore, it is with regret and after much thought and contemplation that I have decided to resign as the Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia effective 14 days from the date of the resignation notice which I have served today,” he stated.
In the 495-page report, investigators concurred that the controls of the aircraft were likely deliberately manipulated to take it off course – although they were unable to determine who was responsible for it.
However, the report did highlight the mistakes made by the Kuala Lumpur air traffic control. It stated that the air traffic controllers had failed to initiate standard emergency phases, and that there was no record of them taking any action to alert the air force or keep a continuous watch on the radar display.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced the formation of an internal committee, that would come up with recommendations and possible actions that could be taken against air traffic controllers on duty at the time, in a statement.