Malaysia’s transport ministry announced on Wednesday that the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will recommence on December 30, reigniting hopes of uncovering the aircraft that disappeared over ten years ago. The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar after departing on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers, predominantly Chinese nationals, onboard from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Satellite data indicated the plane deviated from its route and flew south towards the southern Indian Ocean, where it is presumed to have crashed.
The ministry disclosed that U.S.-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity will conduct targeted searches starting December 30 for a total of 55 days in areas identified as having the highest probability of locating the missing plane. This initiative reflects Malaysia’s commitment to providing closure to the affected families, as stated by the government.
In a move to intensify search efforts, Malaysia authorized a “no-find, no-fee” agreement with Ocean Infinity in March to resume the underwater exploration at a new 15,000-square-kilometre site in the ocean. Ocean Infinity is poised to receive $97 million Cdn only if wreckage is identified, following a previous suspension of the search due to adverse weather conditions.
Despite extensive multinational search operations yielding no breakthroughs, scattered debris was discovered along the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search conducted by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also yielded no results.