The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been officially declared as an accident with no survivors.
The declaration should allow for compensation payments to relatives of the victims.
No trace of the Beijing-bound aircraft has been found since it disappeared on March 8 last year.
Malaysian government officials say that the recovery operation is ongoing but that the 239 people onboard are now presumed dead.
The whereabouts of the aircraft are still unknown despite a massive international search in the southern Indian Ocean.
Malaysian officials said that the recovery of the missing aircraft remained a priority and that they had pursued “every credible lead”.
Department of Civil Aviation director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that it was “with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow that we officially declare Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 an accident.”
All 239 of the passengers and crew onboard MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives, he said.
The majority of the passengers on MH370 were Chinese.
China’s foreign ministry has now called for compensation for the victims’ families, the BBC reported.
“We call on the Malaysian side to honour the promise made when they declared the flight to have been lost and earnestly fulfil their compensation responsibilities,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
Malaysia Airlines said it would be contacting the families to proceed with the compensation process.