The government of Malaysia announced on Friday that it had tentatively agreed to a deal with an American research organization to launch a new search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), which vanished in March 2014 and has not been found.
The disappearance of MH370 – which fell off of radar screens less than an hour into taking off on March 8, 2014, and was never heard from again – remains one of the world’s most well-known and baffling unsolved mysteries. Multiple search and rescue operations throughout the Indian Ocean failed to lead to any evidence of the plane’s whereabouts for a decade; the discovery of what appeared to be plane debris on the remote island of Reunion in 2015 initially sparked some hope for uncovering the fate of the flight but ultimately did not lead to any major discovery.
The flight disappeared with 239 people on board. Their loved ones have not ceased advocating for more efforts to find the passengers, but the Malaysian government halted search operations in 2017 on the grounds that it had no new leads and the efforts were too costly to maintain.
The government of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Friday that it is in the beginning of a process to being a new effort to find the plane, allegedly based on “credible” new leads that the exploration company Ocean Infinity reportedly believes are worth pursuing. Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke specified in remarks on Friday that, under the approved deal with Ocean Infinity, the Malaysian taxpayer would not have to pay for the search unless the company found the plane. The reward fee for finding it is $70 million.
“They felt it is a credible lead and it is based on the research of many experts. Ocean Infinity of course took into consideration all findings by various researchers,” Loke said, according to Malaysia Star. “So, this is another attempt to find MH370 and it is our commitment to the families, especially to the next of kin, that the government will continue this search.”
The agreement, Loke added, has only been approved in principle and requires some finalizing of the specific terms.
“The Ministry of Transport is currently negotiating the terms and conditions of the agreement with Ocean Infinity, which is expected to be finalised in early 2025,” he noted, calling the proposal “credible” and worth the government’s time.
The BBC recalled this week that Ocean Infinity had already concluded one search effort for the plane in 2018, resulting in no significant discoveries. Loke did not specify what the new “credible” leads the company would be chasing are in the press conference, as per to various reports in Malaysian media. The 2018 search effort lasted three months.
Ocean Infinity issued its own statement calling the Malaysian government’s announcement “great news.”
“We look forward to sharing further updates in the new year once we’ve finalised the details and the team gets ready to go,” the company added, according to the BBC.
The Malaysian New Straits Times recalled that Loke had previously indicated in November that Ocean Infinity approached Kuala Lumpur with a potential deal to restart the search in June and the government was still considering the terms. The agreement announced on Friday appears to be a response to that proposal.
Relatives of the disappeared reacted enthusiastically to the news, expressing gratitude and hope that the deal would result in closure for their families.
“Feels like the best Christmas present ever,” Jacquita Gonzales, the wife of in-flight supervisor Patrick Gomes, told the New Straits Times.
“Finally, they agree that the proposal put forward by Ocean Infinity is credible enough to restart the search. They always said they needed credible evidence, she continued, thanking Loke for “keeping his promise to push for the search.”
“We are grateful for the chance of the search resuming. Since the last search concluded in 2018, we have been waiting for a long time for a new search,” Grace Subathirai Nathan, a representative of the MH370 families, said in a statement. “As the next of kin, we really hope this search will be the last; we really hope that MH370 will be found this time.”
The father of passenger S. Puspanathan, Subramaniam Gurusamy, told the Malaysia Star that he felt “hopeful” this search would find his son, and believed “all the other relatives feel the same.”
“This announcement stirs mixed emotions — hope, gratitude, and sorrow. After nearly 11 years, the uncertainty and pain of not having answers have been incredibly difficult for us,” the wife of cabin crew member Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, Intan Maizura, said.
Malaysia led a search effort with the help of China and Australia, both of which had passengers on the plane, from 2014 to 2017, when efforts to search the South China Sea ended as a result of no new evidence or any findings searchers could use to expand the effort. The search cost $150 million and yielded no answers.
In the absence of a formal search, some family members did their own travel seeking to find any debris that may have washed up on the coast. One relative – Jiang Hui, whose mother Jiang Cuiyun was on the flight, described to the Malaysia Star in March traveling throughout Africa looking for clues on its eastern beaches. His travels resulted in the finding of a “piece of honeycomb-shaped debris” he hoped would yield clues to the plane’s location, but at press time has not yielded any concrete leads.
“I hope these governments can see our determination and know that the relatives have not given up, so that they won’t either,” he said.
