Twelve years after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people aboard, a renewed deep-sea search by Ocean Infinity has concluded without finding the aircraft. The effort, conducted under a no-find-no-fee contract, covered thousands of square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean but yielded no confirmed wreckage. Families continue to urge Malaysian authorities to extend the search.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 239 people—mostly Chinese nationals—from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, vanished from radar on March 8, 2014. Satellite data indicated the plane deviated from its path and headed south into the remote southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.
Previous multinational searches failed to locate the wreckage, though debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A 2018 private search by Ocean Infinity also found nothing. Last year, Malaysia approved a renewed effort by the Texas-based company under a "no-find, no-fee" contract, promising $70 million only if wreckage is discovered. The search targeted a 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) area.
Operations occurred in two phases: March 25–28, 2025, and December 31, 2025, to January 23, 2026, surveying 7,571 square kilometers (2,923 square miles) of seabed. Weather disruptions affected the work, and since 2018, Ocean Infinity has spent 151 days at sea, mapping over 140,000 square kilometers.
On March 8, 2026—the 12th anniversary—Ocean Infinity announced the search's end without findings. Chief Executive Officer Oliver Plunkett stated, “It was important for us to take advantage of every piece of information and data available and go back, but despite all that effort, we haven’t been able to find it.” He added, “The scale of the challenge both geographically and technologically is almost impossible to comprehend,” and noted the use of advanced robotics and automation for greater precision than in 2018.
The Malaysian Air Accident Investigation Bureau confirmed, “The search activities undertaken have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage.” Plunkett expressed gratitude to families, the Malaysian and Australian governments, and said, “If nothing else, we can say with confidence that it isn’t where we looked. That matters – it brings clarity, and it will help those continuing to study the evidence refine their thinking and shape future search strategies.”
Voice 370, representing some families, urged extending Ocean Infinity's contract—valid until June—and similar deals with other companies, stating, “The government pays nothing unless the aircraft is found. Any request by Ocean Infinity to extend the search contract should therefore be granted without hesitation.” They added, “We will never give up!” Ocean Infinity affirmed its ongoing commitment, working with Malaysia for potential future returns. AirlineRatings CEO Sharon Petersen remarked, “Whilst we all want a conclusion... this may be one tragedy that is never fully uncovered.”
