On Wednesday, Malaysia’s transport ministry announced that the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is set to resume on December 30, revitalizing hopes of ultimately locating the aircraft that disappeared over a decade ago.
The Boeing 777, which vanished from radar shortly after its departure on March 8, 2014, has remained one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. The most recent search efforts were suspended in April due to adverse weather conditions.
Details of the renewed search effort
According to a statement from the transport ministry, the US-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity will embark on a targeted search starting December 30. This operation is expected to last a total of 55 days, focusing on areas deemed most likely to yield results in discovering the missing plane.
“The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia’s commitment to providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy,”
the ministry remarked in its announcement.
In March, the Malaysian government approved a “no-find, no-fee” contract with Ocean Infinity, allowing the seabed search to proceed in a newly identified area spanning 15,000 square kilometers of ocean. The firm will receive a payment of $70 million contingent upon the discovery of wreckage.
Background on the MH370 disappearance
Past extensive multinational searches have yielded no definitive clues regarding the aircraft’s whereabouts, although some debris has washed ashore on the East African coast and various Indian Ocean islands. A private search operation undertaken by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also failed to find any trace of the airplane.
On that fateful day in March 2014, the Boeing 777 lost contact with air traffic control 39 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, en route to Beijing. The flight carried 239 individuals, comprising five young children and 12 crew members. While the majority of those on board were from China, the passenger list included individuals from several other countries, including the United States, Indonesia, France, and Russia.
Data from satellites indicated that the aircraft deviated from its intended flight path, ultimately heading south into the remote southern Indian Ocean, where it is presumed to have crashed.