Malaysia’s cabinet has approved a new search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished mysteriously 10 years ago, announced Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Friday.
Malaysia agrees to resume search for wreckage of flight MH370 https://t.co/S1HGiOBsHw
— Nikkei Asia (@NikkeiAsia) December 20, 2024The Boeing 777, with 239 people on board, lost radar contact on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite extensive efforts, it remains missing, marking the largest search in aviation history.
On December 13, Loke explained that the government “agreed in principle to accept a proposal from Ocean Infinity,” a US and UK company, to search for a new 15,000 square kilometre area in the southern Indian Ocean.
Loke praised the proposal from Ocean Infinity as robust and worthy of consideration. He disclosed that the Ministry of Transport is negotiating the agreement terms, aiming for completion by early 2025.
The upcoming search will operate on a “no find, no fee” basis, meaning Malaysia pays nothing unless the aircraft is located, added Loke.
Although Ocean Infinity’s previous 2018 search yielded no results, Loke noted that the new proposed search area draws on the latest expert analysis and data. He described the proposal as credible and deserving of further evaluation, highlighting Malaysia’s role as the state of registration for MH370.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has agreed in principle to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, its transport minister said on Friday, more than 10 years after it disappeared in one of the world's greatest
Full story:https://t.co/cD7MHYahKe pic.twitter.com/wMJT1ZADty
— Daily Express Malaysia (@DailyExpress_MY) December 20, 2024Following the 2014 disappearance, an Australian-led search spanning 120,000 sq km in the Indian Ocean found minimal traces of the aircraft, recovering only a few pieces of debris. The search was halted in January 2017, succeeded by the initial Ocean Infinity effort.
Theories about the disappearance have varied widely, with some suggesting pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately diverted the plane. A 2018 report criticized air traffic control failings and confirmed the plane’s course was manually altered.
