The infamous lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has captivated many globally since the disappearance of a passenger jet on March 8, 2014. Now, over a decade later, the ongoing investigation has been temporarily suspended until the end of 2025.
Search Suspended due to Weather Complications
After an inconclusive initial four-year investigation, Ocean Infinity announced plans to resume the search for the missing flight in December of 2024. A few months since the promise of further exploration, the search has been put on pause due to weather limitations affecting the search area of the Indian Ocean.
“Right now it’s not the season” stated Malaysian Government Transport Minister, Anthony Loke. “I think they have stopped the operation for the time being and will resume the search at the end of this year”.
Loke made the statement at a press conference held at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, following the arrival of airline British Airways’ first flight to Malaysia after reinstating their Kuala Lumpur route.
A Timeline of Missing Flight MH370 – A Decade of Limited Discovery
Despite undergoing the largest search in aviation history, the missing Boeing 777 which carried 239 passengers is yet to be found. Here is a short summary of what we know after a decade of search efforts.
2014: Disappearance and Initial Search
On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur at 00:42 local time, set to land in Beijing. The last known voice contact records the aircraft’s captain stating “Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero”. Two hours after takeoff, the airline lost contact with the aircraft, and it had vanished from civilian radar. Malaysia Airlines issued a press statement announcing a loss of contact with the plane.
Search and rescue operations began, concentrating on the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca. By the end of the following day, more than 40 aircraft and 24 vessels from several nations were contributing to the search. On March 10, the Royal Malaysian Air Force confirms the flight made a “turn back”.
As the search and rescue phase turned to efforts of search and recovery, a series of investigations were undertaken. A sonar search of the seafloor began on April 14 and concluded on May 28, finding no debris.
2015 – 2017: The Search Continues and Draws to a Close
Underwater searches continued to take place, and by January 28, 2015 after countless speculation, Malaysia declares the disappearance an accident.
After finding unrelated debris on Reunion Island, debris confirmed to be from the missing aircraft is found on the islands of Pemba and Mauritius in September and October of 2016. However, the discovery of this debris did not result in uncovering the location of the main body of underwater wreckage. The underwater search came to an end in January 2017.
2018 – Today: Private Company Ocean Infinity conducts Series of Searches
Searches resume in January 2018 under private company Ocean Infinity who agree upon a “no find, no fee” arrangement with Malaysia.
These efforts concluded in June 2018. The search was again announced to resume in December 2024, and is now on pause due to weather conditions.
What are your thoughts on the continued search for missing flight MH370?
