Malaysia has agreed to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 more than 10 years after it disappeared.
Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke told a news conference on Friday December 20th that Malaysia had agreed to a new search operation by maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which also carried out an unsuccessful hunt in 2018.
He said, "Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin. We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families."
Back in November the Straits Times said that Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that Kuala Lumpur was in negotiations with Ocean Infinity regarding a proposal the company made in June 2024 to resume the undersea search for the MH370 wreckage in a 15,000 sq km area off the coast of Western Australia.
Aviation and industry expert Geoffrey Thomas had raised the possibility that the Malaysian government didn’t want to find MH370 due to the ramifications that would result.
The new search will resume "as soon as the contract is finalised and signed by both parties", Loke said.
"They have informed us that the ideal time for the search in the designated waters is between January and April. We are working to finalise the agreement as quickly as possible," he said.
The new search will be on the same "no find, no fee" principle as Ocean Infinity's previous search, with the government only paying out if they find the aircraft.
The contract is for 18 months and Malaysia will pay US$70 million ($111.7 million) to the company if the plane is found, Loke said.
AirlineRatings CEO Sharon Petersen said, "AirlineRatings has closely followed and reported on this story since the tragedy occurred. We have consistently supported the continuation of the search. We are optimistic that this time, the aircraft will be found, bringing an end to the mystery of MH370 and offering much-needed closure to the families."
The Boeing 777, with 239 aboard vanished on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
READ: Ocean Infinity has ships in the area ready to restart the search.
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