At the very beginning of 2025, the details of the contract regarding the new search for the remains of the Malaysia Airlines plane, which disappeared ten years ago in the Indian Ocean, should be finalised.
Despite conducting the largest search ever for a plane disaster, the fate of flight MH-370 and its 239 passengers remains unknown.
The government of Malaysia will finalise the contract with the US- and UK-based marine exploration company Ocean Infinity at the beginning of the year for the new search for the plane's remains. The search will immediately follow, given that the experts estimate that the period from January to April is ideal for the search in the planned area.
This concerns a huge area of 15,000 square kilometres, the size of Connecticut or half of Belgium, in the south of the Indian Ocean, near the coast of Australia.
The government in Kuala Lumpur decided not to give up the search, given the frustrating absence of an epilogue after a decade. Malaysian authorities have selected the area for the upcoming search based on new data analysis they deem credible.
"We hope this time will be positive. Finding the wreckage would give closure to the families of those on board," Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke said last week, announcing plans for a new search.
The search does not start from scratch
Nearly six years after the publication of the final investigation report, the families of the passengers, as well as the company and the government of Malaysia, are beginning to hope for answers about the most mysterious plane crash.
According to a Malaysian government report from July 2018, there are no clear and proven conclusions. The investigators simply could not get to the most important parts of the aircraft, which would have revealed the reasons for the disappearance: the cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder, and some more massive remains of the wreckage.
If the four-year investigation did not lead to a final finding, where does the new hope that the search will be successful come from now?
However, they left behind a wealth of information about the flight's course and failures in air traffic control, all of which could have contributed to the tragedy. After all, due to the findings of the investigation into the failure of air traffic control, the then Malaysian director of the Department of Civil Aviation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, resigned.
If the four-year investigation, in which transportation safety teams and bureaus from the US, China, France, Australia, and other countries participated, did not lead to a final finding, where does the new hope that the search will be successful come from now?
Self-confidence of the government
Malaysian Transport Minister Loke is cautious: “At this point, no one can provide guarantees. It has been over 10 years, and it would be unfair to expect a concrete commitment.”
However, the government's decision to reopen the investigation shows that it is depending on fresh analyses, which should provide definitive evidence about the tragedy.
Also, the choice of location for the search shows a certain self-confidence of the government. Despite its extensive scope, the new search in the southern Indian Ocean has significantly narrowed and is even eight times smaller than the initial investigation's search area.
The Malaysian government is embarking on a new search with an old partner, the company Ocean Infinity
The Malaysian government is embarking on a new search with an old partner, the company Ocean Infinity, which already conducted a search in 2018 but without success. The company's agreement to participate in the search again speaks of its confidence that success is possible. After all, the initial proposal for a new undersea investigation came from Ocean Infinity last June.
The terms under which they will accept the job further bolster optimism, as the arrangement, similar to that of 2018, will operate on the "no find-no fee" principle. This implies that the company will only receive the agreed-upon USD 70 million if it uncovers sufficient and convincing evidence of the plane crash.
“Under the terms and conditions, any discovery must be credible. It cannot just be a few fragments; there are specific criteria outlined in the contract,” said the Malaysian Minister of Transport.
Families are waiting for comfort
The discovery of smaller parts of the plane wreckage on remote East African shores has not been enough for experts and the government to solve one of aviation traffic's biggest mysteries.
Some families, this time, are hoping for the success of the investigation and the relief that reliable evidence would bring
More importantly, no one has so far been able to provide a definitive answer to the families of the passengers, leaving the authorities in Kuala Lumpur with a huge obligation that they have failed to fulfil for a decade.
Some families, this time, are hoping for the success of the investigation and the relief that reliable evidence would bring.
“This announcement stirs mixed emotions—hope, gratitude, and sorrow. After nearly 11 years, the uncertainty and pain of not having answers have been incredibly difficult for us," said Intan Maizura Othaman, whose husband was a member of the cabin crew on flight MH-370.
