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THE International Air Transport Association (IATA), based in Geneva, has welcomed the planned resumption of the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 later this month, reaffirming that the global aviation community remains committed to uncovering the truth behind the aircraft’s disappearance.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh highlighted the enduring importance of determining the cause of the Boeing 777’s loss for the safety of the entire aviation industry.
He stressed that any credible new data or technology that could assist in the search must be fully utilised.
“It is important that we make every effort to locate the aircraft and understand exactly what happened,” Walsh told Bernama during a global media briefing at the IATA headquarters here.
The search, to be conducted by US-based deep-sea exploration company Ocean Infinity, targets the aircraft that vanished on 8 March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew aboard during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing.
Radar data later indicated that the plane turned back over the Malay Peninsula and headed towards the Andaman Sea before vanishing completely from tracking systems.
Walsh said IATA, which represents airlines worldwide and sets global standards on safety, operational efficiency and sustainability, fully supports any renewed efforts by governments or technical teams to locate the missing Boeing 777.
“Everyone wants the aircraft to be found, and everyone wants to understand exactly what happened,” he said, noting the disappearance continues to have a profound impact on families, the aviation sector and the public.
“I am sure all the families involved will welcome the resumption of the search, as will everyone in the industry, because we all want to know what happened,” Walsh added.
On 3 December, Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport announced that deep-sea search operations for MH370 would restart on 30 December.
Ocean Infinity has confirmed to the Malaysian government that it will conduct a 55-day phased search, leveraging enhanced robotic and mapping technologies.
Despite the original search, one of the largest and most expensive in aviation history involving Australia, Malaysia and China, no confirmed wreckage of the aircraft has been located.
The initial operation covered 120,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean and was suspended in 2017 after two years.
Only scattered debris, confirmed to belong to MH370, has ever been found on various islands in the western Indian Ocean, carried by ocean currents.
Earlier search efforts this year, launched in March, were also suspended due to adverse weather conditions.
Ocean Infinity has expressed confidence that its improved robotic fleet, now carbon-neutral and far more efficient than traditional deep-sea platforms, combined with lessons learned from previous missions, increases the likelihood of success in this renewed operation. - December 10, 2025