Malaysia Airlines flight MH370: Officials release final cockpit audio for first time

Chinese relatives are played audio of the final communication between crew members and ground control

A woman writes a message of support and hope for passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 (Reuters)

The Chinese families of passengers and crew aboard flight MH370 have heard audio from the plane’s cockpit for the first time.

Malaysian authorities played a recording of the finale exchange between the airplane’s crew and ground control during a public conference in Beijing today.

They are purportedly the last known words from MH370 before it vanished from radar screens and veered off-course.

In the audio, a radar controller from the airport in Kuala Lumpur says: "Malaysia three seven zero contact Ho Chi Min 120.9, good night.”

A male voice, believed to be a male crew member, replies: "Good night Malaysian three seven zero.”

During the first of what is understood to be a series of briefings to relatives, officials explained that MH370 crew members did not respond to further requests to contact ground control.

Nearly 20 minutes later, officials said the Royal Malaysian Air Force picked up the flight for the last time on its radar system.

By that point the plane was believed to have veered far off course over the Malaysian coastal area of Penang, in the direction of the Malacca Strait.

The long-awaited release of the audio comes more than 50 days after the plane disappeared without trace.

The "families' committee" have demanded details on the aircraft's last known location.

Last week, more than 100 family members staged a 15-hour sit-in at the Malaysian embassy in Beijing demanding a meeting with a high level technical experts.

Read more: Authorities to investigate claims an exploration company may have found wreckage in the Bay of Bengal