Malaysia has given the green light for a renewed search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, more than a decade after the aircraft disappeared. The search will be conducted in a 15,000 square-kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean under a “no find, no fee” agreement with U.S. exploration firm Ocean Infinity.
Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook announced on Wednesday that Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million (£56 million) if the wreckage is found. The decision follows years of uncertainty and failed attempts to locate the missing aircraft, which vanished on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew members on board.
Renewed Search Efforts
The disappearance of MH370 remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. Previous search operations, including a multinational effort that cost $150 million (£120 million), were called off in 2017 without success. Despite extensive investigations, only fragments of debris suspected to be from the aircraft have been discovered on Indian Ocean shores in the years following its disappearance.
Malaysia’s latest approval formalizes a plan that was tentatively agreed upon in December 2023 but finalized only in March 2024. The Malaysian government, along with officials from Australia and China, had previously stated that a search would only resume if credible new evidence emerged.
Commitment to Closure
Minister Loke reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continuing efforts to locate the aircraft and provide closure to the families of those on board.
“The government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the MH370 passengers,” he said in a statement.
The Mystery of MH370
MH370 lost communication with air traffic controllers less than an hour after takeoff and deviated significantly from its planned flight path. Investigators believe the plane likely crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but the exact cause of the incident remains unknown. A 2018 investigation suggested that the aircraft’s controls may have been deliberately manipulated, but it did not reach definitive conclusions.
The lack of a definitive explanation has fueled widespread speculation, including theories of pilot suicide, mechanical failure, or even a foreign military intervention. The investigation concluded that answers could only be determined if the wreckage was found.
Families Seeking Answers
The renewed search has elicited mixed reactions from families of the missing passengers. Many have long demanded greater transparency and continued search efforts. Earlier this month, grieving families gathered outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing on the 11th anniversary of the tragedy, chanting: “Give us back our loved ones!”
Chinese families have expressed frustration over the lack of direct communication from Malaysian authorities. Li Eryou, whose 29-year-old son was on the flight, criticized the lack of official updates, stating that families often learn about developments through the media rather than direct communication.
“Many families don’t even know how to access this information, so they are completely unaware,” he told AFP.
Cheng Liping, whose husband was aboard MH370, urged the Chinese government to engage more actively with Malaysia. “Everyone has been left trapped in pain. What exactly happened is still unknown,” she said.
Hope for Closure
While some relatives welcome the fresh search as a step toward closure, others describe it as bittersweet, fearing that it may once again end without results. The search, once commenced, is expected to take several months. For many families, however, the hope remains that this effort will finally bring long-awaited answers to the fate of MH370.
