The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, one of the most significant aviation mysteries, is poised to resume over a decade after it vanished.
There were 239 people on board the Boeing 777 when it disappeared on its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March 2014.
Analysis of satellite data suggests the plane likely crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, near the coast of western Australia, but previous searches have uncovered no substantial evidence.
In December, Malaysia agreed to restart the hunt and Ocean Infinity, an exploration company, has now entered the search zone.
Malaysia has yet to finalize the contract for the seabed search, introducing uncertainty over whether the search has commenced.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke praised Ocean Infinity’s proactive deployment of their vessels and confirmed that the team has been given preliminary approval to resume the search, with contract details to be finalized.
Mr. Loke stressed the search would not be indefinite, with a specified time period for the contract.
Contact with Flight MH370 was lost 40 minutes after departure from Kuala Lumpur.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was the last to communicate, saying “Good night, Malaysian three seven zero,” as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace.
Shortly after, the transponder was turned off, complicating the tracking process.
Military radar data indicated the plane diverged from its course and eventually disappeared from all tracking.
An extensive search conducted by Malaysia, Australia, and China covered 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq miles) at a cost of $143m (£113m) without yielding traces of the plane.
Although no major plane parts or the critical black box devices were found, debris collected along the African coast and Indian Ocean islands confirmed parts of the aircraft.
