Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Search Resumes
The deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is scheduled to resume on December 30. The Malaysian transport ministry confirmed this development, reactivating efforts to locate the aircraft that disappeared in March 2014.
Background of the Disappearance
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 carrying 239 individuals, primarily Chinese nationals, lost radar contact shortly after departing Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on March 8, 2014. Satellite data indicates the aircraft deviated from its planned route, heading south into the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it is presumed to have crashed.
New Search Operation Details
U.S.-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity will conduct intermittent search operations starting December 30, for a total duration of 55 days. These operations will focus on specific areas in the Indian Ocean identified as having the highest probability of containing the aircraft. The Malaysian government approved a "no-find, no-fee" contract with Ocean Infinity in March, stipulating a payment of $70 million only upon the discovery of wreckage. This renewed search targets a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site. An earlier search attempt by Ocean Infinity in 2018 did not yield results, and the most recent phase of operations was paused in April due to adverse weather conditions.
Previous Search Efforts and Findings
Prior multinational search operations did not succeed in locating the main wreckage of the aircraft. However, various pieces of debris confirmed to be from MH370 have washed ashore on the east African coast and several Indian Ocean islands.