KUALA LUMPUR – Relatives of those who were aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are pressing the Malaysian government to extend its current search agreement with deep-sea exploration company Ocean Infinity as the hunt for the vanished aircraft continues into its 12th year.
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 disappeared while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board – 227 passengers and 12 crew members. The incident remains one of aviation’s most puzzling unsolved mysteries.
Since the plane’s disappearance, numerous search efforts have been launched across the southern Indian Ocean, but none have successfully located the missing aircraft.
Last March, Malaysian officials authorized Ocean Infinity to restart search operations under a “no find, no fee” arrangement, where the company would receive $70 million only upon successfully discovering the wreckage.
However, Malaysia’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau announced Sunday that the search efforts have not produced any significant results. The operations included two separate phases spanning 28 days total, covering approximately 7,571 square kilometers of ocean floor.
Weather conditions and rough seas repeatedly interrupted the search activities, with the most recent phase concluding on January 23, according to the AAIB.
“The government remains committed to keeping the families informed and will continue to provide updates as appropriate,” the bureau stated.
Voice370, an organization representing the families of flight victims, expressed concern that Ocean Infinity may not be able to continue searching before the contract expires in June. The group cited approaching winter weather in the southern hemisphere and worsening ocean conditions as barriers to resuming operations.
The families’ group is asking Malaysian officials to approve any extension requests from Ocean Infinity and to offer similar terms to other exploration companies that may be interested in joining the search.
“A simple addendum extending the contract period without altering the core terms of the agreement would allow the search to continue without delay,” Voice370 stated.
This is not Ocean Infinity’s first attempt to locate the missing plane, as the company has previously conducted unsuccessful search operations.
A 2018 investigation report by Malaysian authorities offered no definitive explanation for what occurred during the flight, though officials did not dismiss the possibility that someone intentionally diverted the aircraft from its planned route.
