Malaysia has extended its agreement with deep-sea exploration firm Ocean Infinity by one year to continue the underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014, becoming one of aviation's greatest mysteries.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced the extension, which will run for 12 months from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027. The additional time is intended to allow Ocean Infinity to fully complete the search of a remaining area of 7,428.54 sq km. The extension also accounts for the firm's new commercial contract commitments, which will require the temporary redeployment of search assets between November 2026 and April 2027.
Ocean Infinity had previously searched for the plane until 2018. Last year, the firm signed a new deal with Malaysia to resume the hunt across a 15,000 sq km area, with payment of $70 million contingent on finding the wreckage. Loke said: 'This decision is a manifestation of the government's continuous and unwavering commitment to provide closure for the next of kin of the passengers aboard flight MH370.'
The last transmission from the plane was about 40 minutes after take-off, when Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah signed off with 'Good night, Malaysian three seven zero' as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace. Shortly after, its transponder was turned off, making it difficult to track. Military radar showed the plane deviated from its flight path, flying back over northern Malaysia and Penang Island, then out into the Andaman Sea before turning south, where 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 2017 report. Malaysian investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the aircraft was deliberately diverted. More than 30 pieces of suspected debris have been collected along the coast of Africa and on Indian Ocean islands, but only three wing fragments were confirmed to be from MH370.
