Malaysia says search for flight MH370 to resume in late December

The search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume on December 30, according to the Transport Ministry on Wednesday.

Exploration company Ocean Infinity will recommence seabed search operations intermittently for a total of 55 days, the ministry stated. 

The search will be carried out in the targeted area assessed to have the highest probability of locating the aircraft, in accordance with the service agreement entered into between the government of Malaysia and Ocean Infinity on March 25, 2025," it said, adding that the Malaysian government remains committed to providing closure to the families affected.

The disappearance of MH370 was a tragic accident that occurred on March 8, 2014, when the plane, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, disappeared from radar screens with all 239 people on board.

What we know about the missing MH370 

More than 150 Chinese passengers and 50 Malaysians were on the flight, as well as citizens from France, Australia, Indonesia, India, the United States, Ukraine, and Canada, among others.

Satellite data analysis indicated the plane probably crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of western Australia. However, two major search efforts found no significant results.

The last transmission from the plane was about 40 minutes after it took off from Kuala Lumpur headed for Beijing. Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah signed off with "Good night, Malaysian three seven zero," as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace.

Shortly thereafter, its transponder was turned off, which meant it could not be easily tracked.

Military radar showed the plane deviated from its flight path to fly back over northern Malaysia and Penang Island, then headed out into the Andaman Sea toward the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It then turned south, and all contact was lost.

Underwater searches 

Malaysia, Australia, and China launched an underwater search in a 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq miles) area in the southern Indian Ocean, based on data from automatic connections between an Inmarsat satellite and the plane.

The search, which cost about A$200 million ($131.54 million), was called off in January 2017 after 2 years, with no trace of the plane found.

In 2018, Malaysia accepted a "no-cure, no-fee" offer from U.S. exploration firm Ocean Infinity for a three-month search, meaning the company would only be paid if it located the plane.

That search covered 112,000 sq km (43,243 square miles) north of the original target area and also proved fruitless, ending in May 2018.

Debris 

More than 30 pieces of suspected aircraft debris have been collected along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean, but only three wing fragments were confirmed to be from MH370.

Most of the debris was used in drift pattern analysis to narrow down the aircraft's possible location.

Investigation report 

A 495-page report on MH370's disappearance, published in July 2018, stated that the Boeing 777's controls were probably intentionally manipulated to divert it off course, but investigators couldn't identify who was responsible.

The report also pointed out errors made by the air traffic control centers in Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City and provided recommendations to avoid a similar incident.

Investigators stopped short of drawing any conclusions about what happened to MH370, saying that it depended on finding the plane's wreckage.

Search resumption  

Malaysia's government in December 2024 announced it would resume the search for the wreckage following a new proposal from Ocean Infinity, which would receive $70 million if substantive wreckage is found. The search began in March this year but was suspended after a few weeks due to bad weather.

The new search, beginning December 30, will be carried out under the same terms and conditions agreed upon between Malaysia and Ocean Infinity in 2024, covering a 15,000 sq km (5,790 sq mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean. The exact location has not been disclosed.

Ocean Infinity has confirmed it will resume seabed operations for 55 days, carried out intermittently, Malaysia's Transport Ministry said, adding that the resumed search would focus on "a targeted area assessed to have the highest probability of locating the aircraft."

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)