China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) confirmed the flight was carrying about 160 Chinese passengers and did not contact the Chinese air traffic management department or enter China's air traffic control area.

China's air control authority said there were no storms in the area of the South China Sea where the plane was flying across. The weather was generally fine with light clouds.

A VP of the Malaysia Airlines said the plane had enough fuel to fly for seven hours, one hour more than the flight time to Beijing.

The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER reportedly registered 9M-MRO, was delivered to the airline in May of 2002 and powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines.

The Boeing 777 was introduced in 1995. Since then, it has been involved in only two other major accidents and three hijackings.

The most notable accident occurred in July 2013, when an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200 carrying 291 passengers and 16 crew members crashed during landing in San Francisco, killing three passengers and seriously injuring 48 others. Investigators blamed the accident on a pilot error.

Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia and one of Asia's largest, flying nearly 37,000 passengers daily to some 80 destinations worldwide.

The airline said the public can call +60-378841234 for information about the plane.