Malaysia will restart the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on 30 December, authorities announced on Wednesday, more than 11 years after the aircraft vanished without a trace.
The Transport Ministry said marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity will conduct intermittent searches over 55 days in areas believed most likely to contain the missing Boeing 777.
The aircraft disappeared from radar 39 minutes after departing Kuala Lumpur for Beijing on 8 March 2014, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members.
Malaysia approved a "no-find, no-fee" contract with the UK and US-based company in March to search a new 15,000-square-kilometre site in the Indian Ocean. Ocean Infinity will receive $70 million only if wreckage is discovered.
"The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia's commitment to providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy," the ministry said.
The company halted its most recent search in April due to bad weather. Ocean Infinity previously conducted an unsuccessful search in 2018.
Most passengers were Chinese nationals, with others from Malaysia, the United States, Indonesia, France, Russia and other countries. Five children aged between two and four were aboard.
An expensive multinational search involving ships and aircraft from numerous countries failed to locate the aircraft, although debris later washed ashore on the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands.
Satellite data showed the plane turned from its planned route and headed south towards the far southern Indian Ocean, where investigators believe it crashed.
