In an unusual turn of events that took place almost 10 years ago, on March 8th, 2014, when a Malaysian Airline Flight MH370 disappeared as it flew from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to the Beijing Capital International Airport in China. The disappearance of the Boeing 777 aircraft that carried about 239 people sent shock waves on the international level, leading to the rescue strategy that stretched from the Indian Ocean west of Australia to the northern Central Asia.
The flight that took off at late midnight sent multiple signals on its way as it reached its destination, with transmission and voice communication taking place at different points of time before reaching the airspace over the South China Sea. The Malaysian military and civilian radar began tracking the plane as it turned around and flew over the Malay Peninsula and over the Strait of Malacca. As the time went passed, the radar lost contact with the plane, with the satellite data analysis detecting the plane next morning.
Post this development, the search for the plane continued at several destinations after it was determined that the flight had turned to its west after the transponder was switched off. Later when the signal could not locate the plane, it was predicted that the plane could have been anywhere around the South China Sea, with the identifier leading to the north of Asia. The search was then expanded to the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia on the southern arc and Southeast Asia, western China, the Indian subcontinent, and Central Asia. Few pieces of the aircraft seemed to have been discovered along the coast of Africa and on the islands in the Indian Ocean.
Previous Search Operations
The search for the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 involved different countries and private entities that contributed significantly. The initial search was led by Malaysia, Australia and China in 2014 as they conducted their search and rescue operations, deployed assets, set up investigation teams, including satellite assistance. These efforts finally ended in 2017 when no success could be achieved.
Thereafter in 2018, Ocean Infinity, a U.S. based seabed exploration conducted the search for the airline and played an integral in the search. In order to achieve its objectives, the firm used cutting-edge technology and focussed on the possible crash site in the Southern Indian Ocean. The company also expanded the search into different regions, with the hope of locating the debris. However, the search ended unsuccessfully in 2018 as it could not locate MH370. Interestingly, the company volunteered on the basis of no find, no fees” basis, implying that it is only eligible for payment if finds the debris.
Current Developments
In a recent development, Ocean Infinity has once again volunteered to a new search operation for the MH370 airline. The mission aims to focus on the area in the Southern Indian Ocean area, which has been identified as a potential crash site. The search is expected to begin in 2025 under the erstwhile no find, no fee agreement. The firm will receive will 70$ million only if it manages to locate a significant portion of the debris.
