Malaysia will resume the search for missing MH370, marking a new turning point after more than a decade of the mysterious disappearance of the Boeing 777.
The Malaysian Transport Ministry said the search for MH370 will begin on December 30, 2025, led by Ocean Infinity, a US undersea technology company, with a fleet of modern robots.
The new search will focus on areas assessed as highest likely to find the wreckage, according to the Malaysian Transport Ministry.
Ocean Infinity plans to review each phase over the next 55 days, covering an area of about 15,000km2 in the Indian Ocean - which is being analyzed as most congruent with satellite data, predicted flight trajectories and drift patterns of debris ever found.
Notably, Malaysia and Ocean Infinity have re-signed a no find, no payment deal meaning the government only has to pay if it discovers the plane. The reward is set at up to $70 million if the body of MH370 is found.
Ocean Infinity conducted a search in 2018 but did not bring results. Previously, the 2014-2019 multinational campaign mobilized 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 26 countries, sweeping more than 129,000km2 of the seabed but only recovered some debris drifting to the Union Island and the African coast.
The search for MH370 in April this year had to be suspended due to bad weather. This time, the strategy is considered more cautious and drastic, as Malaysia affirmed that the new effort demonstrates "commitment to bringing solutions and final comfort to the victims' families".
MH370 took off on March 8, 2014 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people, including 12 crew members and 227 passengers from more than 10 countries.
The plane went missing less than an hour after leaving the runway; radar showed it suddenly changing course, turning west and disappearing in the Strait of Malacca.
Over the past 11 years, MH370 has become one of the biggest mysteries in the aviation industry. A series of hypotheses have been proposed - from technical errors, plane robberies, to intervention from inside the cockpit.
A 495-page report published in 2028 said the control system may have been manipulated, causing the plane to leave the route. However, the investigation did not find any unusual evidence about the psychology, finances or personal life of the captain and deputy captain.
With this search, experts say that Ocean Infinity's more modern seabed scanning technology - combined with AI autonomous vehicles, high-resolution sonar and improved analysis models - could create a breakthrough that the world has been waiting for more than 11 years.
Although the results are still unknown, the victims' families hope that the new campaign will help end the longest and most painful chapter in the history of civil aviation.
Malaysia has confirmed its readiness to expand the search if it receives positive signals from the upcoming 55-day period.
