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NEARLY 11 years after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from radar, the government’s agreement to resume the search has renewed cautious debate among aviation experts, who say the effort is shaped more by technological confidence than by any breakthrough in evidence.
The renewed operation by Ocean Infinity, set to begin towards the end of the year, reflects significant advances in underwater mapping and autonomous underwater vehicles, allowing investigators to revisit long-held assumptions about the aircraft’s final trajectory with greater analytical rigour.
Prof Major Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian said earlier search missions were constrained by the limits of available technology, particularly when surveying vast, rugged and uneven sections of the ocean floor.
“While previous efforts managed to chart large areas of the seabed, the resolution and consistency of the data were not always sufficient to confidently identify smaller or fragmented wreckage,” he said.
MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board. Since then, the aircraft has been the subject of several search phases, including a multinational underwater operation that ended in 2017 and a privately funded Ocean Infinity search in 2018. The latest attempt was announced earlier this year.
According to Mohd Harridon, newer generations of autonomous systems now allow for slower, more systematic and more detailed seabed surveys, reducing the risk of missing debris in complex underwater terrain.
He stressed that the renewed search is not based on new satellite data, but on the improved ability to test existing hypotheses more thoroughly.
“Even if the search does not locate the wreckage, it will help refine our understanding of MH370’s final path by narrowing down areas where the aircraft is unlikely to be,” he said.
On the possibility of recovering flight data, Mohd Harridon said the aircraft’s black box is built to endure extreme pressure and resist corrosion for a limited time, meaning that some data may still be retrievable if the wreckage is located.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke has confirmed that Malaysia has entered into a “no-find, no-fee” agreement with Ocean Infinity, under which the government will only make payment if the wreckage is found. The success fee could amount to as much as US$70mil (RM286.81mil).
Ocean Infinity last searched for MH370 between January and May 2018, covering more than 112,000 sq km of seabed in the southern Indian Ocean before concluding its mission.
Datuk Captain Nik Ahmad Huzlan Nik Hussain said Ocean Infinity’s readiness to proceed without guaranteed payment suggests a calculated confidence, driven by technological improvements and a more focused search zone.
“They are prepared to gamble because the operational cost is relatively low for them, while the potential payoff is high,” he said, noting that calmer sea conditions in the southern Indian Ocean during this period also enhance operational feasibility.
However, he cautioned that successfully locating the wreckage would not automatically lead to its recovery.
“This is a search effort, not a salvaging operation.
“Finding the aircraft could mean images or sonar confirmation, but retrieving debris – especially the black box – would require a separate operation, different vessels, and specialised equipment,” he said.
Nik Ahmad Huzlan added that the black box remains the single most critical piece of evidence, as it could determine whether the aircraft was under control in its final moments or disintegrated upon impact.
At the same time, Malaysian Pilots Association president Captain Prof Ab Manan Mansor warned that the renewed search could reopen long-standing emotional wounds for the families of those on board.
He said repeated announcements risk turning the tragedy into “sensational storytelling” rather than delivering meaningful answers, questioning what the operation could realistically achieve after more than a decade.
Ab Manan also expressed concern over the terms of the agreement with Ocean Infinity, particularly over how a successful “find” would be defined and whether recovery is expected beyond imaging and verification.
“Even if they locate something, how are they going to retrieve it?” he asked, pointing out that the aircraft is believed to be lying between five and seven kilometres beneath the ocean surface.
He added that the extreme pressure at such depths would likely have caused the aircraft to disintegrate over time, with debris dispersed by powerful ocean currents, as suggested by parts previously discovered along the African coastline.
“Reopening this case should not be about hype. It should be about honesty, clarity and respect for the families who have already endured 11 years of uncertainty.” - December 14, 2025