MH370 Search Operations Suspended until Late 2025 due to Harsh Weather Conditions in Southern Indian Ocean

By
Noreen Shazreen
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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been suspended due to poor weather conditions in the southern Indian Ocean and will not resume until the end of 2025, Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook announced on Thursday.

“I believe it’s not the right season at this moment. I think they (Ocean Infinity) have temporarily halted the operation and will pick up the search again at the end of this year,” Loke stated, as reported by Malaysian state news agency Bernama.

The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared on 8 March 2014 while carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, becoming one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

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With autumn underway in the southern hemisphere, harsh winter conditions are expected to persist for several months, making search operations hazardous.

New Search Agreement

Last month, Malaysia reached an agreement with US-based exploration company Ocean Infinity to search a new 15,000km² area in the southern Indian Ocean.

The search operates under a “no find, no fee” arrangement, with Ocean Infinity set to receive $70 million if the aircraft’s wreckage is discovered.

This marks Ocean Infinity’s second attempt to locate the missing aircraft. The company previously conducted searches in 2018 that ended without success.

“Our duty, responsibility, and commitment lie with the families left behind,” Transport Minister Loke said at a press briefing in December when announcing the renewed search efforts.

Previous Search Efforts

The search for MH370 has been one of the largest surface and underwater operations in aviation history, involving Australia, Malaysia, and China.

The initial multinational search covered 120,000km² at an estimated cost of about S$180 million, before being suspended in January 2017 after 1,046 days.

Ocean Infinity’s first search attempt in 2018 covered an additional 112,000km² north of the original search zone, also without results.

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Confirmed Debris

Despite the lack of major wreckage, several pieces of debris have been confirmed as belonging to the missing aircraft.

Three pieces have been conclusively identified as parts of MH370: a wing flap found in Tanzania, a plane wing fragment discovered in Mauritius, and a flaperon recovered from Reunion Island.

Five additional pieces are considered “highly likely” to be from the aircraft, including cabin interior panels, an engine cowling, and a horizontal stabilizer.

Ongoing Mystery

The final communication from MH370 occurred approximately 40 minutes after takeoff as the aircraft entered Vietnamese airspace over the Gulf of Thailand.

Military radar tracked the plane as it deviated from its intended flight path, turning back over northern Malaysia and heading into the Andaman Sea before all contact was lost.

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A comprehensive report released in 2018 indicated that the controls of the Boeing 777 were likely manipulated deliberately to divert the aircraft, but investigators could not determine who was responsible.

Investigators stopped short of offering any conclusions about what happened to MH370, stating that definitive answers depend on finding the plane’s wreckage.

The flight had over 150 Chinese nationals on board, along with 50 Malaysians and other passengers from various countries including Australia, Indonesia, the United States, Ukraine, and Canada.

Amateur investigators continue to develop theories about the aircraft’s location. Richard Godfrey, who has analyzed thousands of signals from the day of the disappearance, believes the plane is resting 1,500km west of Perth, Australia.

The search for MH370 remains one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries since Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared.

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Noreen Shazreen
Email: [email protected]