Disappearance of flight MH370: the families call for the search to continue at sea

Twelve years after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the families of the 239 victims are mobilizing and launching an urgent appeal to the Malaysian government. They are calling for the contract with Ocean Infinity, the marine robotics company which has just completed a new phase of research in the southern Indian Ocean, without any tangible success.

A new unsuccessful excavation campaign

The Malaysian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has announced that the operations, conducted over 28 effective days and covering some 7,571 km² of seabed, did not result in any significant discoveries. The search was disrupted by adverse weather and sea conditions. Although the initial planned duration was 55 days, they ended prematurely. Ocean Infinity, which has mapped over 140,000 km² since 2018, confirms the lack of results despite the use of cutting-edge technologies, including autonomous robots and automated data analysis. Oliver Plunkett, the company's CEO, emphasized the commitment of his teams: «We can say with confidence that it's not where we've been looking».».

The «no find, no fee» contract and the challenge of the austral winter

The agreement signed in March 2025 between Malaysia Airlines and Ocean Infinity is based on the principle of «no discovery, no payment», with the sum of $70 million conditional on the location of the wreck in a 15,000 km² zone targeted using new analysis models. However, with the onset of the austral winter, the southern seas will be perilous until the end of 2026. The Voice370 group, representing the families, expresses doubts about a recovery before June, and pleads for a simple amendment to the contract to extend its duration without altering its essential terms.

«A simple amendment extending the contract's duration without modifying its essential terms would enable the research to continue without delay.»

A history of unsuccessful searches

Since 2014, several massive search campaigns, covering over 229,000 km² in total, have failed to locate the wreckage of MH370. Although debris has been confirmed on African and Indonesian coasts, the main wreckage remains unaccounted for. The Malaysian report of 2018 had mentioned a possible manual deviation of the aircraft, without concluding on human intervention, sabotage, mechanical failure or pilot suicide. These new excavations, concentrated on the «7th arch», the presumed fuel-ending zone, have eliminated certain hypotheses but rekindled the debate on search priorities.

Continued commitment, hope for families

Ocean Infinity remains open to a resumption of the search should new analyses reveal any anomalies, and still has a number of potential search days. The families of the victims pay tribute to the efforts made and salute the principle of «no find, no fee». They also honor the memory of Jacquita Gonzales, a Voice370 activist who died in 2025. The Malaysian government has pledged to keep relatives informed of future developments. The question remains: will Kuala Lumpur seize this last opportunity to try and close this tragic chapter in aviation history?