Malaysia announced on Friday it has agreed to launch a new search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared 10 years ago in one of aviation’s greatest enduring mysteries.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Malaysia had agreed to a new search operation by maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which also carried out an unsuccessful hunt in 2018.
“The new search area proposed by Ocean Infinity is based on the latest information and data analysis conducted by experts and researchers,” Loke said.
“The proposal for a search operation by Ocean Infinity is a solid one and deserves to be considered,” he told reporters.
Asked if he was confident the plane will be found during the new search, Loke said: “At this point, no one can provide guarantees.
Malaysia announced on Friday it has agreed to launch a new search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared 10 years ago in one of aviation’s greatest enduring mysteries.
When it vanished from radar screens on March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 carrying 239 passengers was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
They have conducted the biggest search in aviation history, but the plane has never been located. 17 days after the plane vanished, Malaysia’s prime minister stated that his government had determined that there were no survivors and that the plane had crashed in a remote area of the Indian Ocean based on satellite data.
Malaysia has consented to a new search operation by the maritime exploration company Ocean Infinity, which conducted an unsuccessful hunt in 2018, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
The initial efforts of the company came after a three-year search for the aircraft, led by Australia, which was halted in January 2017.
Loke stated that Ocean Infinity, a U.S. and U.K.-based company, would scout a new 5,800 square mile region of the southern Indian Ocean.
According to Loke, “Ocean Infinity’s new search area is based on the latest information and data analysis conducted by experts and researchers.”.
He told reporters, “The Ocean Infinity search operation proposal is a good one and should be taken into consideration.”.
According to the government, Ocean Infinity’s proposal was accepted “in principle” on December 13; the terms will be finalized by the transport ministry by early 2025.
Loke stated that “as soon as the contract is finalized and signed by both parties,” the new search will start up again.
According to their information, January through April is the best time of year to conduct the search in the designated waters. We’re trying to get the deal finalized as soon as possible,” he continued.
“I sincerely hope the loss of MH370 will come to an end. One of the passengers’ stepmothers, 60-year-old Malaysian Rosila Abu Samah, told AFP, “May all questions be answered.”.
The 49-year-old Malaysian Shim Kok Chau, whose wife worked as a flight attendant on the tragic flight, stated that he had come to terms with her fate but hopes to learn more about the plane’s fate, including “why it happened and who did it.”. “..”.
A renowned group of 24 Chinese calligraphy artists who had just returned from an exhibition of their work were among the other victims. Two young Iranian men, Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, age 18, and Delavar Seyed Mohammadreza, age 29, were on the plane with stolen passports in search of better opportunities in Europe.
A pair of U. S. . Yan Zhang, age 2, and Nicole Meng, age 4, were among the young passengers on the aircraft.
The only adult American passenger on the flight was Philip Wood. With his girlfriend, Sarah Bajc, the IBM executive, who had been residing in Beijing, intended to move to the capital of Malaysia.
“No fee, no find.”.
The government will only pay if they locate the aircraft, and the new search will operate on the same “no find, no fee” tenet as Ocean Infinity’s prior search.
According to Loke, Malaysia will pay the company $70 million if the plane is located during the 18-month contract.
According to him, the Malaysian government’s resolve to carry out the search and give the families of the MH370 victims closure is reflected in the decision to consent to a new search. “.”.
Just a few pieces of debris were recovered during the initial search, which was led by Australia and covered 120,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean.
In July 2015, a piece of an airplane that was later identified as a flaperon from MH370 washed up on the island of Reunion in the western Indian Ocean. The first concrete proof that the plane had crashed nearby was this. On the eastern African coast, more debris was later discovered washed up.
Long-standing theories about the plane’s disappearance have included the idea that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.
The plane’s course was altered manually, according to a final report on the tragedy that was published in 2018 and highlighted shortcomings by air traffic control.
Loke responded, “At this point, no one can provide guarantees,” when asked if he was certain the plane would be located during the new search.
It would be unreasonable to expect a firm commitment after more than a decade has passed. Nonetheless, any discovery must be believable under the terms and conditions. It cannot be a few pieces; the contract specifies certain requirements. “.
