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Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished on routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing
Maryam Zakir-HussainWednesday 03 December 2025 12:45 GMTComments
CloseMH370 pilot's final message before plane disappeared
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A renewed search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will resume this month, more than a decade after the plane’s disappearance.
On 8 March 2014, the Boeing 777 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board.
Despite multiple major search efforts, neither the wreckage nor the bodies have been found and it remains one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.
open image in galleryAn Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield drop sonar buoys during a previous search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 (Australian Defence)Malaysia’s transport ministry confirmed the search will continue on the 30 December, after a recent attempt to search the southern Indian Ocean in April was suspended due to bad weather.
The ministry said: “The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia's commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy.”
Exploration firm Ocean Infinity has confirmed it will resume seabed operations for 55 intermittent days.
The transport ministry stated: “The search will be carried out in targeted area assessed to have the highest probability of locating the aircraft,” though no precise location for this new search area has been disclosed.
Under the terms agreed between the Malaysian government and Ocean Infinity, the firm stands to receive $70 million if substantial wreckage is discovered within a 15,000 sq km (5,790 sq miles) area of the southern Indian Ocean.
Despite numerous extensive search operations conducted over the years, all previous efforts to locate the aircraft have proven unsuccessful.
Malaysian investigators previously did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft was deliberately diverted from its course.
open image in galleryA total of 239 people vanished after the Malaysia Airline flight disappeared on 8 March 2014 (AFP via Getty Images)More than 30 pieces of suspected aircraft debris have been collected along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean, but only three wing fragments were confirmed to be from MH370.
Most of the debris was used in drift pattern analysis in the hopes of narrowing down the aircraft's possible location.
Beijing has welcome the renewed operation, as Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “We appreciate the efforts made by the Malaysian side.”
What happened to flight MH370?
open image in galleryMalaysia ’s transport ministry confirmed the search will continue on the 30 December (AFP/Getty)The last transmission from the plane was about 40 minutes after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah signed off with “Good night, Malaysian three seven zero”, as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace.
Shortly thereafter, its transponder was turned off, which meant it could not be easily tracked.
Military radar showed the plane left its flight path to fly back over northern Malaysia and Penang Island, and then out into the Andaman Sea towards the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It then turned south and all contact was lost.
Analysis of communication “pings” indicated that the plane flew for a further six hours before running out of fuel and crashing into the southern Indian Ocean, according to a report made in 2017,
open image in galleryDebris from the missing MH370 is displayed during a Day of Remembrance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)“The aircraft was not configured for a ditching at the end-of-flight,” notes the report.
In April 2014, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) took control of the underwater search for the Boeing 777, extending up to 2,800km west of the coast of western Australia.
Despite international search studying the sea floor up to 6km below the surface, the only traces of the aircraft to have turned up are fragments of wreckage washed up on the western shores of the Indian Ocean. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing.
A 495-page report published in 2018 suggested the Boeing 777’s controls were likely intentionally manipulated to alter its trajectory.
open image in galleryFlight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia (AP)However, investigators were unable to identify who was responsible and refrained from offering a definitive conclusion on the incident, stressing that finding the wreckage was crucial.
Checks on the captain and co-pilot revealed no suspicious elements in their background, financial affairs, training, or mental health.
The flight carried over 150 Chinese nationals, 50 Malaysians, and citizens from countries including France, Australia, Indonesia, India, the United States, Ukraine, and Canada.
Families of those on board have sought compensation from entities such as Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, and the Allianz insurance group.
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