Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has asked a working group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to consider calling for the mandating of independently operated tracking devices on commercial aircraft.
Gerry Brownlee. Photo: RNZ
The black box on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is yet to be found after the plane vanished three weeks ago.
An Australian Navy ship carrying specialist equipment to detect it is en route to the search area in the Indian Ocean, west of Perth, but is not expected to get there for about three days.
Mr Brownlee's comments were in a speech delivered to the APEC transportation working group in Christchurch, which is working on resolutions passed at a meeting of transport ministers in Tokyo last year.
Mr Brownlee said anything that could be done to avoid the anguish being experienced by the relatives of those still missing from the Malaysia Airlines flight should be considered.
Flight 370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.
