Malaysia to resume search for missing flight MH370 a decade later

Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a US company to resume the search for missing flight MH370 a decade later.

The company, Ocean Infinity, took part in previous searches for the airline, which ended in 2018.

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the company agreed in principle to search a new area in the southern Indian Ocean. If they successfully locate wreckage from the missing airline, they will receive $70 million (€67m) from the Malaysian government.

“The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible,” he said in a statement.

The Texas-based marine robotics firm will search a new 15,000 square kilometre site in the ocean between January and April next year.

“This decision reflects the government’s commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers,” Loke said.

Longstanding mystery

MH370 vanished shortly after take-off on 8 March 2014. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean islands.

Despite an expensive multinational search and a separate private probe in 2018, no conclusive evidence of the plane’s fate has been found aside from several pieces of debris that have washed up along the coast of Africa and Indian Ocean islands.

The aircraft’s disappearance has become one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. Families of the plane’s 239 passengers have claimed that the plane could have been crashed deliberately as part of a murder-suicide by one of its pilots. Based on flight data available, aviation authorities have also suggested the crew might have become unresponsive, possibly after falling victim to hypoxia.

The theories offered so far have never been fully verified. However, Malaysian investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the plane may have been taken off course intentionally.

Many of the families of those who were on the flight have campaigned relentlessly to restart searches for the plane.

Wife of cabin crew member Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, Intan Maizura Othaman, told the New Straits Times, “This announcement stirs mixed emotions — hope, gratitude, and sorrow. After nearly 11 years, the uncertainty and pain of not having answers have been incredibly difficult for us.”

Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett earlier this year reportedly said the the company had improved its technology since 2018. He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyse data and narrow the search area to the most likely site.

Additional sources • AP