MH370: Clues Point to $200M Heist

If you remove all the distractions, the most plausible scenario is that MH370 was stolen, for profit. 

The distractions you need to remove are:

• Suicide (impossible to tell if that was a motive)
• Crashed (no wreckage found)
• Terrorism (no claims)

The conclusion is that the plane was stolen, and the usual motive for theft is profit. Boeing 777-200ER planes sell for over $200 million. However it would be hard to find a buyer, which means the plane was stolen to order.

By who? Almost certainly to supply an airline that already uses the same plane. They can add it to their fleet without raising suspicions, or perhaps use it for parts. Imagine what the engines are worth!

To steal the plane you either need a passenger who is skilled at flying a large jet and being able to pull off a hijack, or you need the cooperation of the existing pilot(s). Co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid certainly appears to be someone not afraid of breaking the rules:

A CO-PILOT at the controls of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 invited a Melbourne tourist and her friend into the cockpit where he smoked, took photos and entertained the pair during a previous international flight.

In a worrying lapse of security, it’s been revealed pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid and his colleague broke Malaysia Airline rules when they invited passengers Jonti Roos and Jaan Maree to join them in the cabin for the one-hour flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur. [Source]
 

Perhaps he was identified by the masterminds as the corruptible type? Perhaps an offer of say $10 million was too hard for him to resist.

Many airlines fly Boeing 777-200ER planes (see list at Wikipedia), but few are in countries where corruption is significant enough to pull off such a heist. The standout suspect is China Southern Airlines, for the following reasons:

• They alreay have 4 Boeing 777-200ER planes
• In 2012, a 777-200ER aircraft in the China Southern Airlines fleet was placed in retirement. Meaningful?[Source]
• They operate out of Xishuangbanna, China.
• Xishuangbanna is within range fuel-wise
• Xishuangbanna is in the right direction
• Being closest to the Burmese border, Xishuangbanna airport is already predisposed to smuggling activities.
• Just 3 months ago 10 China Southern Airlines employees were arrested for corruption. [Source]
• The doomed flight was a China Southern Airlines codeshare

Unfortunately it is hard to think of how this theft could be kept secret while letting the passengers or even the pilots live.