The search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume on 30 December, over a decade after the aircraft with 239 people on board vanished, Malaysian authorities have said.
This fresh search, which will run for 55 days, had begun in March but was suspended shortly after due to poor weather conditions.
The latest development underscores Malaysia's commitment to providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy, the transport ministry stated, according to local media.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777, disappeared in 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, triggering the largest search operation in aviation history.
Leading the current search is exploration firm Ocean Infinity under a 'no find, no fee' arrangement. They stand to receive $70 million if they locate the wreckage, as outlined by Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook.
Previous attempts included a multinational effort with 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 countries, which concluded in 2017, and another attempt by Ocean Infinity in 2018 that lasted three months.
Flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff on March 8, 2014, and radar indicated it deviated from its intended flight path. This incident remains one of the greatest aviation enigmas, tormenting the families of those on board. Over the years, many have demanded a renewed search, expressing their struggles to find closure.
The disappearance has also led to numerous conspiracy theories, including suspicions of deliberate actions by the pilot or potential hijacking scenarios. An investigation in 2018 suggested that the plane's controls may have been intentionally manipulated to divert it; however, no definitive conclusions were drawn, stating that concrete answers can only be reached if the wreckage is discovered.
