Australia plans to spend $84 million on search for Malaysian airliner, budget documents show

CANBERRA, Australia – The Australian government plans to spend 90 million Australian dollars ($84 million) on the search for the missing Malaysian plane.

Australia is leading the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which is thought to have disappeared in the Indian Ocean with 239 passengers and crew aboard on March 8.

According to documents released on Tuesday, the government has budgeted AU$90 million for the search in the current fiscal year that ends on June 30 and the next.

But the documents note that the actual cost will depend on a numbers of factors, including the cost of underwater submarine services, the length of the search and the contributions of other countries including Malaysia and China.