The Malaysian government announced on Friday its decision to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, nearly 10 years after the passenger jet vanished in one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed that the cabinet had approved, in principle, a $70 million agreement with U.S.-based marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity. The search will operate under a “no find, no fee” arrangement, meaning Ocean Infinity will only be paid if the wreckage is located.
Renewed Hope for Closure
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board. Despite multinational search efforts costing $150 million, the Boeing 777’s wreckage has never been conclusively located.
The new search is expected to focus on a 15,000 square kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean, guided by new data deemed credible by Malaysian authorities.
“We hope this time will be positive,” Loke said, emphasizing the importance of bringing closure to the families who have been left in anguish for nearly a decade. Negotiations on the specifics of the deal with Ocean Infinity are ongoing and are expected to be finalized early next year.
Families React to the News
The announcement has been met with a mix of hope and emotion from relatives of the passengers and crew.
Jacquita Gonzales, whose husband Patrick Gomes was an inflight supervisor on MH370, described the news as “the best Christmas present ever.”
“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,” said Intan Maizura Othaman, the wife of cabin crew member Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan.
Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the flight, urged the Malaysian government to adopt a “more open approach” to the search, allowing for broader collaboration.
Ocean Infinity’s Optimism
Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett welcomed Malaysia’s decision, calling it “great news.” The company previously conducted a three-month search in 2018, also under a “no find, no fee” agreement, but failed to locate the wreckage.
“We look forward to sharing further updates in the new year once we’ve finalized the details and the team gets ready to go,” Plunkett said.
The Mystery Endures
Flight MH370 lost communication with air traffic control less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. Radar data revealed it veered off its planned route, and investigators believe it ultimately crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
Debris linked to the aircraft has washed ashore on Indian Ocean coastlines in subsequent years, but the main wreckage remains undiscovered. A 2018 investigation suggested the plane’s controls were likely deliberately manipulated, though it did not determine who was responsible.
Malaysian authorities and Ocean Infinity hope the renewed search will finally answer the questions that have haunted the world for nearly a decade.
