Deep-Sea Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to Restart

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will resume on December 30, 2023, after more than eleven years since the aircraft disappeared. The announcement from Malaysia’s Transport Ministry has rekindled hopes of finally uncovering the fate of the Boeing 777, which vanished from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014. The flight was en route to Beijing and carried 239 passengers, predominantly Chinese nationals.

According to the Transport Ministry, US-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity will conduct the search intermittently over a period of 55 days. The targeted areas for the search are believed to have the highest probability of locating the missing aircraft, which is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. The ministry stated, “The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia’s commitment to providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy.”

In March, the Malaysian government approved a “no-find, no-fee” contract with Ocean Infinity for the seabed search operation. This contract covers a new search area of approximately 5,800 square miles. Under the terms of the agreement, Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if the wreckage is discovered. The search initiative had been previously halted in April due to adverse weather conditions.

The original multinational search effort for Flight 370, which began shortly after its disappearance, failed to yield any definitive clues regarding its location. While some debris linked to the aircraft washed ashore on the east coast of Africa and various islands in the Indian Ocean, these findings did not lead to the main wreckage. A private search conducted by Ocean Infinity in 2018 also concluded without any significant discoveries.

This renewed search operation represents a significant investment in resources and hope for the families of those on board Flight 370. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the aircraft has persisted for over a decade, leaving many questions unanswered and families in distress.

As the search date approaches, the global community will be watching closely, hoping for a breakthrough that could finally provide answers to one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.