The search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is expected to resume today, December 30, more than a decade after the aircraft vanished with 239 people on board and potentially solve one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.
According to The Guardian, the renewed effort will be carried out by Ocean Infinity, a UK- and US-based marine robotics company that previously searched for the missing aircraft in 2018. The company’s earlier attempt was halted in April this year due to adverse weather conditions.
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Malaysia’s transport ministry said the seabed search would be conducted intermittently over a 55-day period starting December 30. The operation will focus on a newly identified area of about 5,800 square miles (15,000 square kilometres) in the southern Indian Ocean.
Ocean Infinity has entered into a “no find, no fee” agreement with the Malaysian government, under which it will receive $70 million only if the wreckage is located. The company has not commented publicly on the renewed mission.
A decade-long mystery and renewed hope for families
Flight MH370 disappeared from air traffic radar on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The aircraft was carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers, including a large number of Chinese nationals, along with citizens of Australia, India, France, Indonesia, the United States, Iran, Ukraine, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Russia and Taiwan.
The disappearance triggered one of the largest and most expensive underwater search operations in history. Australia, Malaysia and China jointly led the multinational effort, which scanned more than 46,000 square miles of seabed before being called off in January 2017.
In a report published later that year, Australian investigators said the failure to locate the aircraft and provide answers to families was “almost inconceivable” in the modern era.
Debris later confirmed to be from MH370 has since washed up on the coasts of Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean, helping investigators narrow down possible crash locations through drift analysis. Malaysian authorities have said the latest search area was selected based on assessments indicating the highest likelihood of finding the aircraft.
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A Malaysian investigation in 2018 concluded that the aircraft was manually diverted during flight and that “unlawful interference by a third party” could not be ruled out. The report dismissed theories of pilot suicide and found no evidence of mechanical failure.
Relatives of those on board have welcomed the resumption of the search. Danica Weeks, whose husband Paul was among the passengers, told The Guardian that families had “never stopped wishing for answers” and hoped the renewed effort would finally bring clarity.
