The missing plane was on a well monitored flight path over the Java Sea, less than an hour's flying time from major regional hubs including Singapore and Jakarta.
Search planes and ships will fan out from the point where it disappeared from radar screens and experts say they should not have much trouble finding it.
It will, however, bring back anguished memories of the two other aircraft with a Malaysian connection lost this year.
A search is still continuing in the Indian ocean for a Malaysian Airlines flight that disappeared without a trace in March.
