KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — The search for the national flag carrier’s missing MH370 jetliner with all 239 people aboard had cost Putrajaya around RM456 million, the Transport Ministry revealed today.

"The operation to search for MH370 by the team involving Malaysia, Australia and China at the extended underwater search area of 12,000km square on the Indian Ocean was completed and suspended on January 17, 2017.

"To date, the estimated expenditure by the government to fund the operation is RM456 million,” Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.

Liow was answering a question by Selayang MP William Leong Jee Ken who had asked the ministry to state the cost incurred for the plane search.

Leong also asked whether a report providing the full information and data will be released to assist closure for the victims’ families, as well as the conditions for resuming the search.

"The final report on the investigation, including investigation outcomes from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Defence Ministry would be released within a one year period from the announcement of MH370’s search suspension,” Liow said in response.

He said that accusations that Malaysia was not forthcoming with key information pertaining to the search efforts and investigations into MH370, were also baseless.

Liow announced in January that the search operation for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean had been suspended after three years since the plane went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with all 239 people on board.

With the governments of Malaysia, Australia and China having suspended their operations, the families of those on board are seeking to fund their own hunt and have spoken with some global aviation and oceanography experts as well as main investigator Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The families who have banded together as a group under name Voice 370 estimate that their project may cost US$15 million.

Liow has said that Putrajaya does not object to the private campaign and will try to provide any help it can.