Malaysia’s transport ministry has relaunched the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, slated for December 30. This comes more than eleven years after the jet vanished, making it one of the greatest aviation mysteries.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 238 people, had departed from Kuala Lumpur on 8 March, 2014, at 12:41 am local time destined for Beijing before it disappeared at around 2:14 am. Satellite data showed the aircraft concluded its voyage in the southern Indian Ocean. Despite a comprehensive global search covering more than 120,000 sq km, no wreckage was recovered.
The new operation is led by US-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity under a “no find, no fee” contract with the Malaysian government. The company has scheduled a 55-day deep-sea mission across a new 15,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean that is identified as the zone with the highest possibility of containing the wreck. The Malaysian government has agreed to pay up to $79 million if significant wreckage is found.
“The government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the MH370 passengers.” said transport minister Anthony Loke. This decision underscores the government’s resilience in providing closure to families who have campaigned relentlessly for the search to continue. Relatives of the passengers, many of them from China, have shown optimism and hope with the new announcement.
Earlier investigations have examined a wide range of theories; however, no definitive cause has been established. With the new search window now set, attention once again turns to the depths of the Indian Ocean; where governments and families hope this mission may solve a mystery that has plagued global aviation for over a decade.
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