Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – More than 11 years after its disappearance, the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is set to resume, following a new agreement with Ocean Infinity. Malaysia has indicated its willingness to reopen the investigation if compelling new evidence emerges and has contracted Ocean Infinity under a “no-find, no-fee” arrangement to search a 15,000 sq km (5,800 sq mile) area of the Indian Ocean. Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only upon the discovery of wreckage.
The Boeing 777-200 departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time on March 8, 2014, en route to Beijing. Last contact with the plane was made via military radar at 2.14am, as it flew west over the Strait of malacca. Malaysia Airlines announced it had lost contact with the aircraft, scheduled to land at 6.30am, approximately half an hour later.
Previous search efforts, including a 2.5-year underwater hunt covering 120,000 sq km in the southern Indian Ocean conducted by Australian teams, were suspended in April 2017. Debris believed to be from the aircraft has since been discovered off the coasts of Tanzania and Mozambique, and families of those onboard have actively participated in searches, including a 2016 expedition to Madagascar.
A 2018 Malaysian investigation concluded the plane was manually turned around mid-flight, and did not rule out “unlawful interference by a third party.” The investigation dismissed theories of pilot suicide and mechanical failure.
The Malaysian transport ministry stated on Wednesday that this latest advancement “underscores the government of malaysia’s commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy.” Recent search activity was paused in April due to poor weather conditions.
