The year 2026 might finally bring resolution to one of aviation’s most perplexing mysteries, as a new search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is in progress in the Indian Ocean.
The renewed effort commenced on December 31, more than a decade after the Beijing-bound Boeing 777 departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport with 239 people on board, who have not been seen since.
Flight MH370 took an unexpected westward turn about an hour after takeoff, heading over the Andaman Sea before disappearing from radar, leaving many families with lingering questions.
Malaysian authorities have sanctioned a 55-day intermittent search for the aircraft, believed to be wrecked, with Ocean Infinity, a robotics firm based in Texas, leading the operation using a search vessel and two underwater drones to locate the plane and its 227 passengers along with 12 crew members.
The government officially approved the project on December 3 for Ocean Infinity, which has previously attempted to locate MH370’s resting place on the Indian Ocean seabed using advanced technology.
A prior search in March was curtailed due to adverse conditions, and given that no major wreckage or bodies have been found for over a decade, a ‘no find, no fee’ agreement has been made with the firm.
If the search successfully uncovers substantial wreckage, Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million; if not, they will absorb the search costs with no compensation.
Ocean Infinity has remained discreet about the specifics of their search area, citing the ‘important and sensitive nature’ of their mission, which aims to succeed where an international effort in 2014 did not.
It is known that the firm is focusing on a smaller area than prior searches, having collaborated with several MH370 experts to pinpoint the most likely location.
The cause of MH370’s deviation from its flight path in 2014 remains unknown.
Over the years, multiple theories have surfaced, ranging from deliberate pilot sabotage to a sudden technical failure incapacitating both crew and passengers.
Without clues from where the plane ultimately ended or evidence from the wreckage, the aviation disaster’s mystery persists.
However, on Wednesday, December 31, families of the victims renewed hope for answers as Ocean Infinity’s Armada 86 05 vessel reached its designated search area, embarking on the endeavor to resolve the 11-year-old enigma of the missing aircraft.