Ten years after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Malaysia has announced plans to resume the search for the missing aircraft. The flight, carrying 239 passengers and crew, vanished on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history.

What Happened to MH370?

The last recorded communication from the plane occurred about 40 minutes after takeoff, when Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah signed off with, "Good night, Malaysian three seven zero," as the aircraft entered Vietnamese airspace. Shortly after, the transponder was switched off, preventing standard tracking.

Military radar later revealed that the plane deviated from its planned route, flying back over northern Malaysia, Penang Island, and into the Andaman Sea before turning south into the Indian Ocean. All contact with the aircraft was eventually lost.

Previous Search Efforts

• Initial Search (2014-2017):A joint search by Malaysia, Australia, and China covered 120,000 square kilometers of the southern Indian Ocean, based on satellite data from the British company Inmarsat. Despite a $143 million effort, no wreckage was found, and the search was called off in January 2017.
• Ocean Infinity Search (2018):The U.S.-based exploration firm Ocean Infinity conducted a second search on a "no-cure, no-fee" basis, meaning payment would only be made if wreckage was located. This effort covered 112,000 square kilometers but also failed to find the plane.

Debris and Investigations

Since the disappearance, over 30 pieces of suspected aircraft debris have been discovered along African coastlines and Indian Ocean islands. However, only three wing fragments were conclusively linked to MH370.

A 495-page investigation report released in 2018 suggested the plane’s controls were deliberately manipulated to divert it off course but did not determine who was responsible. The report also criticized air traffic control errors but fell short of drawing definitive conclusions, leaving the case unsolved.

Conspiracy Theories

The lack of definitive answers has fueled numerous theories about MH370’s fate, ranging from mechanical failure and pilot intervention to far-fetched ideas like alien abduction or a covert operation. While some experts believe the aircraft was deliberately flown off course, investigators found no evidence of suspicious behavior by the captain or co-pilot.

New Search Announcement

Malaysia’s transport minister confirmed on Friday that the government has agreed in principle to a new search proposal from Ocean Infinity. Under the new plan, the company would be paid $70 million only if significant wreckage is found.

The proposed search area will expand by 15,000 square kilometers and is expected to take 18 months once the contract is finalized. Ocean Infinity has identified the optimal search period as between January and April.

As the world continues to seek answers, the renewed search brings fresh hope of solving the decade-old mystery of MH370.