Cyclone hampers MH370 air search

The air search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet has been suspended due to a tropical cyclone. Source: AAP

A TROPICAL storm has hampered the aerial search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet as an underwater drone scours the final third of the narrowed-down search area.

The decision to suspend the aerial search on Tuesday came just just hours after organisers said up to 10 military aircraft would be deployed.

The Perth-based Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre said heavy seas and poor visibility were making any aerial search "ineffective and potentially hazardous".

Before the suspension was in place, four military aircraft had already departed RAAF Base Pearce while one RAAF E7 Wedgetail plane, which coordinates all search traffic, had flown out of RAAF Base Learmonth.

JACC said the aircraft continued with their missions, but captains of other aircraft would use their discretion whether to push on with planned activities or return to base.

The surface search continued throughout the day, with 10 vessels scouting for floating debris from MH370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean on March 8 with 239 people on board.

At 2.30pm, the Bureau of Meteorology said ex-Tropical Cyclone Jack had weakened below cyclone intensity.

It was 660 kilometres south-southwest of Cocos Islands and moving southeast at 20km per hour.

Earlier on Tuesday, JACC said the Bluefin-21 automated underwater vehicle had combed about two thirds of the search area, centred some 1584 kilometres northwest of Perth, during its first eight missions.

The area has been narrowed to a 10km radius around the site of the second acoustic detection by a towed pinger locator on April 8.

Acoustic signals were also picked up in the vicinity on April 5.

No items of interest have been found so far, JACC said.

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