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ALMOST 12 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board, efforts to solve one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries resumed on Tuesday in the remote southern Indian Ocean.
Equipped with next-generation deep-sea robots and refined analytical data, investigators are once again combing the ocean floor for evidence that has eluded governments, experts and grieving families since the aircraft vanished in 2014.
MH370 departed Kuala Lumpur shortly after midnight on March 8 that year, bound for Beijing on what should have been a routine six-hour flight.
Less than an hour into the journey, the Boeing 777’s transponder stopped transmitting, causing it to vanish from civilian radar. Subsequent military radar data indicated the aircraft made a sharp turn west, crossed back over Malaysia and then flew south into the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean.
The disappearance triggered the most extensive and expensive search in aviation history. Multinational teams scanned more than 46,000 square miles, or about 120,000 square kilometres, of seabed off Western Australia using ships, aircraft and sonar technology.
Despite years of effort, no wreckage was located, and the search was suspended in 2017, leaving families with unanswered questions and a mystery that fuelled speculation ranging from hijacking to deliberate pilot action.
Now, the Malaysian government has authorised a renewed search led by Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity under a “no find, no fee” arrangement, according to a statement from Malaysia’s transport ministry.
“The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia’s commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy,” the ministry said.
Under the agreement, reports said Ocean Infinity will receive US$70 million only if it successfully locates the wreckage.
The latest operation, expected to last up to 55 days, will focus on a significantly smaller search area of about 5,800 square miles.
The narrowed zone has been identified using updated satellite communications data, refined drift modelling and fresh expert analysis, aiming to correct assumptions made in earlier searches.
Ocean Infinity is deploying autonomous underwater vehicles capable of descending nearly 19,700 feet, or 6,000 metres, and operating for days without resurfacing.
The drones are equipped with high-resolution side-scan sonar, ultrasound imaging and magnetometers, allowing investigators to generate detailed three-dimensional maps of the seabed, detect debris buried under sediment and identify metallic objects.
If potential wreckage is detected, remotely operated vehicles can be sent down for closer examination.
The company, which also operates a control centre in Britain, previously led an unsuccessful search in 2018 before agreeing to mount this new effort.
AFP contacted Ocean Infinity for comment, but there was no immediate response.
Only limited physical evidence of MH370 has ever been recovered.
Since 2015, fewer than 30 fragments believed to be from the aircraft, including pieces of wing, landing gear and fuselage, have washed up on shorelines thousands of kilometres apart, from the French island of Réunion to Mozambique. No bodies have been found.
Malaysia’s official investigation concluded in 2018 that the aircraft was likely deliberately diverted from its original flight path, though it stopped short of identifying who was responsible.
Families of the victims, from China, Australia, Europe and other regions, have spent years campaigning for the search to continue, arguing that finding the aircraft is essential not only for personal closure but also for global aviation safety.
Governments in Beijing and Canberra have welcomed Malaysia’s decision to restart the hunt and have pledged support for any practical measures that could finally resolve the case.
For relatives such as Jiang Hui, whose 72-year-old mother Jiang Cuiyun was on board the flight, the passage of time has not dimmed the determination to uncover the truth.
Speaking to AFP earlier this month at his home in Beijing, Jiang said frustration with authorities had not weakened his resolve.
“Finding the plane, finding my loved one, and finding the truth – I believe this is something I must do in my life,” he said. - December 31, 2025