More than twelve years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a renewed deep-sea search in the southern Indian Ocean has yielded no results. The search, conducted by the marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, covered thousands of square kilometers but failed to locate the missing aircraft, according to a statement from the Air Accident Investigation Bureau on Sunday.
The search took place between March 2025 and January 2026, focusing on a new area of approximately 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 square miles). Under a “no-find, no-fee” contract, Malaysia has agreed to pay Ocean Infinity $70 million only if wreckage is discovered. During the operation, which lasted 28 days and was split into two phases—March 25–28, 2025, and December 31, 2025, to January 23, 2026—the team surveyed around 7,571 square kilometers (2,923 square miles) of seabed.
Search Details and Challenges
According to the investigation bureau, weather disruptions periodically interfered with the search operations. Despite the extensive efforts, the statement confirmed, “The search activities undertaken have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage.” As of now, there is no indication of when the search may resume.
Flight MH370 vanished from radar shortly after takeoff on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 239 people, most of whom were Chinese nationals. Satellite data later indicated that the aircraft had deviated from its flight path and descended into the southern Indian Ocean, where it is presumed to have crashed.
In previous searches, including a private effort by Ocean Infinity in 2018, no definitive clues to the aircraft’s location were uncovered. Some debris from the missing flight has washed ashore on the east African coast and various islands in the Indian Ocean, but the main wreckage remains elusive.
Families Demand Continued Search Efforts
The families of those on board have expressed their frustration at the lack of progress and are urging the Malaysian government to extend Ocean Infinity’s contract. The group, known as Voice 370, represents the families of some passengers and has called for the government to consider similar arrangements with other deep-sea exploration companies. Although Ocean Infinity’s contract is set to continue until June, the group has noted that the company’s vessel has been redeployed for other work.
Voice 370 stated, “The government pays nothing unless the aircraft is found. Any request by Ocean Infinity to extend the search contract should therefore be granted without hesitation.” They also emphasized the need for Malaysia to explore similar “no-find, no-fee” opportunities with other capable firms in the deep-sea exploration sector.
The families have made clear their commitment to continue advocating for answers, asserting, “We will never give up!” The search for Flight MH370 remains a poignant reminder of the unresolved questions surrounding one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.
