Malaysia’s transport ministry confirmed that the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will resume later this month, marking a significant new effort more than eleven years after the Boeing 777 vanished.
According to CNN, the operation will be carried out by Texas-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, which signed a new agreement with the Malaysian government in March that guarantees payment only if the aircraft is located. The contract specifies a $70 million reward if the wreckage is found.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on a scheduled journey to Beijing. The plane was carrying 239 passengers and crew members, mostly Chinese nationals.
Satellite data indicated that the aircraft deviated from its planned route and headed deep into the southern Indian Ocean, where it is presumed to have crashed.
Despite an extensive international search effort, only small fragments of debris have been discovered along the east African coast and various islands in the Indian Ocean. No bodies or major wreckage have ever been recovered.
Earlier this year, Ocean Infinity restarted its seabed exploration in a newly identified 15,000 square kilometer area of the Indian Ocean after receiving authorization from the Malaysian government.
The search, however, was temporarily suspended in April due to severe weather conditions. According to the transport ministry, the upcoming operation will be conducted intermittently from December 30 for a total of fifty-five days and will concentrate on regions considered most likely to yield the missing aircraft.
It is not known whether Ocean Infinity has uncovered new evidence that could indicate the plane’s location.
Last year, CEO Oliver Punkett stated that the company had enhanced its technology since its first search attempt in 2018, which did not produce results. Punkett explained that the team has worked closely with experts to review data and has focused on the most probable areas for the aircraft’s remains.
This latest search represents one of the most focused and technologically advanced efforts yet to solve one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history.
