Hasnoor Hussain/Portal
Families of Chinese and Malaysian passengers aboard the missing MH370 flight attend the annual memorial service in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, March 3, 2024.
CNN –
Malaysia may continue the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the country's transport minister said on Sunday, as the 10th anniversary of its disappearance approaches.
Flight MH370 became one of the world's most puzzling aviation mysteries when it disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers on board. Despite launching the largest aviation search in history, virtually nothing of the aircraft has been found since.
But just days before the 10th anniversary, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke vowed to “do everything possible to solve this mystery once and for all.”
“Significant changes have been made to prevent a repeat of this tragedy, but I am also aware that the task is not yet complete,” Loke said at an event marking the disappearance of the Boeing 777.
U.S.-based seafloor exploration company Ocean Infinity has made a “credible” new search proposal, Loke said, without giving details. The company has made two previous unsuccessful attempts to find the plane.
“The Ministry of Transport is ready to invite Ocean Infinity to Malaysia to discuss the proposal of a no-find, no-fee offer. We are waiting for Ocean Infinity to announce the appropriate dates and I will meet them anytime they are ready to come to Malaysia,” Loke said.
He said he would “do everything possible” to get cabinet approval for a new contract with Ocean Infinity.
“I'm pleased that there is some progress in some new research and new technology that has been introduced and we really hope that the search can find the aircraft,” Loke said.
Richard Wainwright/AFP/Getty Images
Despite years of searching for the plane, only debris was found.
The mystery surrounding MH370 has captivated the world since its disappearance almost a decade ago. Although the plane has not been found, clues are scattered across the surrounding seas.
Debris confirmed or suspected to be from the aircraft has washed up along the African coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean, including a wing flag in Tanzania, a wing fragment in Mauritius and a flaperon on Reunion Island.
Loke said the tragedy was a “wake-up call for the aviation sector at home and abroad”.
“As we approach the 10-year commemoration of this heartbreaking tragedy, it is a painful reminder of the decades-long journey of grief and resilience endured by the victims' families,” he said.
Ocean Infinity last tried to find the missing plane in 2018, with Malaysia offering up to $70 million if the company found it.