Maylasia Flight MH370 Mystery: Government approves 'No find, no fee' terms for new search

A family member of a passenger aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

The Malaysian Government has approved the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which will be carried out by a marine robotics company. The flight is believed to crash in Indian ocean a decade ago.

Cabinet ministers have finalized the terms for a “no-find, no-fee” agreement with Texas-based Ocean Infinity to restart the seabed search at a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) area in the ocean. Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on Wednesday that Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if wreckage is found.

“The government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the MH370 passengers,” Loke said, announcing the agreement’s progress, which he had previously said would span 18 months.

What happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370? 

The Malaysia Airlines flight 370 took off on March 8, 2014. The flight took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport at its scheduled time but did not reach its destination, which was Beijing. There is still no trace of the aircraft.

The Air traffic control in Ho Chi Minh City grew concerned when a flight failed to check in after entering their airspace. The plane’s transponder, which communicates its location, shut down shortly after, leading to confusion.

Military radar tracked the plane making a turnover the Andaman Sea before it vanished, and satellite data suggested it continued flying for hours, possibly until fuel ran out. The plane, carrying 239 people, is believed to have crashed in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean. A massive search effort, involving dozens of ships and aircraft, was launched between Malaysia and Vietnam, becoming one of the largest and costliest searches in history.

Various theories, including hijacking, cabin oxygen loss, and power failure, have been proposed, but no definitive cause has been found. There were no distress calls, ransom demands, or signs of technical issues.

The missing aircraft had a total of 239 people onboard - 227 passengers and 12 crew members. This plane crash remains the biggest aviation mystery.

A private search was conducted in 2018 by Ocean Infinity, and they found nothing. Although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands.