Not everyone has given up hope of finding Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished without a trace in 2014.
More than a decade later, a new search effort is set to begin. According to reports from outlets including NBC News, U.S.-based marine robotics company Ocean Infinity is preparing to launch another mission to locate the missing aircraft. The Texas-based firm previously conducted a search in 2018 that yielded no results.
Earlier this month, Malaysia’s transport ministry confirmed that Ocean Infinity will resume searching from December 30. The operation is expected to run intermittently for up to 55 days. It will focus on specific areas believed to offer the highest likelihood of locating the plane, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement issued on December 3, the ministry said the renewed effort reflects Malaysia’s continued commitment to helping bring closure to the families affected by the tragedy, as reported by the BBC.
It remains unclear whether Ocean Infinity is acting on new evidence. However, CEO Oliver Plunkett has previously stated that the company has significantly improved its technology since the initial search attempt. He has also said the firm is working closely with multiple experts to analyze existing data and has narrowed the search zone to what they believe is the most probable crash site.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, disappeared in March 2014 while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, triggering the largest and most complex search operation in aviation history. Despite extensive international efforts, the aircraft was never located.
What continues to puzzle investigators is that the pilots did not report any technical issues or distress to air traffic control before the plane vanished. Malaysian military officials later suggested radar data indicated the aircraft may have changed course and turned back toward Kuala Lumpur. However, no such manoeuvre was communicated to controllers.
That same month, then–Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced during a press conference that the aircraft was believed to have gone down in the southern Indian Ocean. Families of the 239 passengers and crew were informed at the time that all lives were presumed lost.
The renewed search offers a glimmer of hope for answers in one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.
