Malaysia signals it may renew search for missing MH370 plane

A memorial wall marks the 10th anniversary of the plane’s disappearance – Shutterstock

Malaysia’s government has signalled it may renew the hunt for the missing MH370 as the 10th anniversary of its disappearance approaches this Friday.

Anthony Loke, the transport minister, said on Sunday that US technology firm Ocean Infinity had proposed another “no find, no fee” search of the seabed in the southern Indian Ocean where the Malaysia Airlines plane is believed to have crashed in 2014.

“The government is steadfast in our resolve to locate MH370,” Mr Loke told a remembrance event in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur attended by families of the victims.

“We really hope the search can find the plane and provide truth to the next-of-kin.”

The fate of the Boeing 777, which vanished from radar while carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has become one of the world’s biggest aviation mysteries.

Family members of passengers and crew on board the missing plane light 239 candles – Shutterstock

Satellite data revealed the plane veered from its flight path after pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah said goodbye to Malaysian air traffic controllers and moved into Vietnamese airspace without indicating anything was wrong.

The plane’s transponder was turned off as it appeared to turn around to fly back south towards the Indian Ocean.

A $200-million multinational government search led by Malaysia, China and Australia ended without success in 2017, followed by a private investigation by Texas-based Ocean Infinity in 2018 that was also ultimately fruitless.

CEO Oliver Plunkett told the New Straits Times the company had been focusing on improving their technology and robotics since 2018 to make another attempt.

“We now feel in a position to be able to return to the search for MH370,” he told the Malaysian daily, adding that Ocean Infinity had been working with experts to try to narrow down the search area.

Visitors look at the wreckage of an aircraft believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 – Reuters

The Malaysian government has not indicated how much it would pay for a successful mission, although in 2018 a sum of up to $70m was on the table.

Mr Loke said he had invited the company to meet him to evaluate new scientific evidence.

The Associated Press reported that family members attending the remembrance event were visibly moved by the hope of a fresh probe to find their loved ones.

“I’m on top of the world,” said Jacquita Gomes, whose flight attendant husband was on the plane.

“We have been on a roller coaster for the last 10 years. … if it is not found, I hope that it will continue with another search,” she said.

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