The families of those lost on board the Malaysia Airlines flight 370 are calling on the Malaysian government to give the green light to another search for the aircraft, which disappeared nine years ago.
The disappearance of the plane, carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 14 different nations, became the biggest mystery in aviation after it disappeared while over the South China Sea during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March 2014.
After a three-year hunt coordinated by Malaysia, China and Australia ended in January 2017, no conclusion was drawn about what happened to flight MH370.
The US marine robotics company Ocean Infinity conducted an unsuccessful second search for the aircraft in the Indian Ocean in 2018, but says it now has new evidence that could lead to the discovery of the plane.
Voice370, a group of relatives of the people on board, are urging Malaysian authorities to back another search by Ocean Infinity.
“While the next of kin of the passengers and crew on board attempt to rebuild our lives, the threat to global aviation safety remains a live issue,” the group said in a statement.
“As long as we remain in the dark about what happened to MH370, we will never be able to prevent a similar tragedy. Accordingly, we believe that it is a matter of paramount importance that the search for MH370 is carried out to its completion.”
Oliver Plunkett, the chief executive of Ocean Infinity, told Guardian Australia the company was “actively engaged” in trying to get the search restarted.
“At this stage, we are unable to say definitively when a new search will take place as discussions are ongoing and there is still much work to be done,” Plunkett said in a statement.
“We are hopeful that our experienced team and marine robotics will be instructed later this year or in 2024.”
At the annual MH370 remembrance event held over Zoom this week, Plunkett told family members he would approach the Malaysian government “in the coming weeks” with the new evidence – although he did not elaborate on what the company had found.
The Malaysian government has repeatedly said it would not support another search unless there was compelling new evidence.
“Over the past 12 months we had made real progress, working with many people to enhance our knowledge of the events in 2014, and ultimately improve our chances of conducting a successful search,” Plunkett said.
He said the company are offering to conduct the search on a “No find, No fee” basis.
“We will work hard and try our best to make it happen, subject to the support of the Malaysian government,” he said. “I fully believe it is a realistic ambition.”
The Malaysian transport minister, Anthony Loke, reiterated the government’s position.
“Since 2014 Malaysia and international partners have searched millions of square kilometres through air, ship and undersea operations. As transport minister, I will not summarily close the book on this tragedy,” Loke said.
“I reiterate, that government’s position that due consideration will be given to search operations should there be new and credible information on the aircraft’s final resting place.”
The mystery continues to weigh heavily on family members. KS Narendran, a Chennai-based consultant whose wife was on MH370, said now was a time to “remind ourselves of the unfinished business, which is to find out what really happened”.
“Our very dear ones are missing. They are no longer with us,” he said at the remembrance event.
“Yet, after all that has been done and said, we don’t know what happened. We’re in the same place as we were on 8 March 2014. For all of us finding answers remains a critical matter.”
Since MH370 went missing, more than 20 pieces of debris believed to be from the aircraft has washed up along the African coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean.
