Malaysia Reopens the Case: Search Resumes for the Elusive Missing Passenger Jet

The Malaysian authorities have indicated their intent to, in principle, recommence the search for a passenger aircraft that disappeared a decade ago—one of aviation’s most perplexing enigmas.

In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished while travelling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China, with 239 individuals aboard.

Attempts to discover the remains of the Boeing 777 have faltered over the years, and countless families of those on board continue to be plagued by the disaster.

On Friday, Anthony Loke, the transport minister of Malaysia, stated that the cabinet had provisionally endorsed a $70 million (£56 million) agreement with the US-based marine search company Ocean Infinity to locate the jet.

Based on a “no find, no fee” agreement, Ocean Infinity will receive compensation solely when the wreckage is discovered.

A 2018 search conducted by Ocean Infinity for the MH370 wreckage under comparable terms concluded without success after a three-month period.

An international effort that amounted to $150 million (£120 million) wrapped up in 2017 after two years of searching extensive oceanic areas. The governments of the three nations involved—Malaysia, Australia, and China—indicated that the search would only recommence “should credible new information emerge” regarding the airplane’s whereabouts.

While the government has “in principle” accepted the proposal from Ocean Infinity, Loke mentioned that negotiations on the precise terms of the contract are still in progress and are set to be finalized early next year.

The upcoming search will span a 15,000 square kilometer area in the southern Indian Ocean, driven by recent information that Kuala Lumpur deemed “credible,” according to the minister.

“We hope for a positive outcome this time,” Loke stated, emphasizing that identifying the wreckage would provide resolution for the families of those aboard.

Relatives of MH370 passengers welcomed the Malaysian government’s endorsement of a renewed search.

“I am thrilled by the news… [It] feels like the best Christmas gift ever,” said Jacquita Gonzales, spouse of MH370 inflight supervisor Patrick Gomes, to the New Straits Times.

“This declaration evokes a mix of feelings – hope, thankfulness, and sadness. After nearly 11 years, the ambiguity and agony of lacking answers have been immensely challenging for us,” shared Intan Maizura Othaman. Her husband, Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, was among the cabin crew.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was aboard the flight, informed the Reuters news agency that the Malaysian government should adopt a “more transparent strategy” for the search to include additional contributors.

In a statement, Oliver Plunkett, the CEO of Ocean Infinity, stated that the Malaysian government’s decision was “fantastic news,” adding: “We are eager to provide further updates in the new year following the finalization of the details and the team begins preparations.”

Flight MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of March 8, 2014. Communication with air traffic control was lost less than an hour after takeoff, with radar indicating it diverged from the planned flight trajectory.

Generally, investigators concur that the aircraft crashed somewhere within the southern Indian Ocean, though the reasons remain uncertain.

Several pieces of debris, believed to originate from the airplane, have washed ashore in the Indian Ocean in the years following its disappearance.

A myriad of conspiracy theories have emerged surrounding the aircraft’s disappearance, ranging from the notion that the pilot intentionally downed the plane to allegations that it was shot down by a foreign military.

A 2018 investigation regarding the aircraft’s vanishing determined that the controls of the plane were likely manipulatively altered to divert it from its course, though it did not ascertain who was responsible for it.

At that time, investigators stated, “the solution can only be definitive if the wreckage is discovered.”