Malaysia Revives Search Efforts for Missing Flight MH370 After a Decade

The Cabinet's approval signals hope for closure as negotiations are set for early next year to commence the new search in the Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian government is set to reignite its search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared nearly a decade ago, in what has become one of aviation history’s greatest mysteries. On March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 vanished en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, carrying 239 passengers and crew, leaving families grappling with unanswered questions.

On Friday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the Cabinet had reached an agreement in principle with US-based marine exploration company Ocean Infinity. The proposed deal, valued at $70 million (£56 million), operates under a “no find, no fee” arrangement, incentivizing Ocean Infinity to locate the wreckage before payment is made.

The new search will focus on a 15,000 square kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean, a region where previous efforts have proven unsuccessful. A prior search by Ocean Infinity in 2018 concluded without results after three months, compounded by an expansive multinational search effort in 2017, which lasted two years and cost around $150 million.

Despite approval from the government, Minister Loke clarified that the logistics of the agreement are still under negotiation and should be finalized in early 2024. "We hope this time will be positive," he stated, highlighting the importance of finding the wreck for the closure of families still yearning for answers.

The disappearance of Flight MH370 has inspired numerous conspiracy theories, with investigations suggesting the aircraft's controls may have been manipulated deliberately to divert its course. Although some debris from the plane has surfaced on various Indian Ocean shores, a definitive understanding of what transpired remains elusive without the recovered wreckage. The aviation community continues to look forward to a breakthrough that can finally provide clarity in this harrowing case.