Curb pilot powers and improve tracking, says Emirates chief

[LONDON] Airlines must take steps to improve tracking and to stop pilots deactivating communications systems, following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the head of the world's biggest international airline said.

Any universal adoption of measures that will pinpoint a plane throughout a flight is useless without moves to stop cockpit crews overriding the technology, Emirates president Tim Clark said.

"What we have to do is ensure that aircraft systems cannot be interfered with, even by pilots," Mr Clark said on Tuesday in Qatar, where he's attending the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association (Iata).