A renewed search operation for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in a newly identified area of the southern Indian Ocean has ended without uncovering any clues to the aircraft’s location.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the Malaysian government had formalised an agreement with marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity on March 25 last year to carry out the search.
Under the agreement, the company was tasked with surveying a 15,000-square-kilometre area of seabed under a “no find, no fee” arrangement.
Two-Phase Search Operation
According to the bureau, the search was conducted in two phases. The first phase ran from March 25 to March 28, 2025, while the second phase took place between December 31, 2025 and January 23, 2026.
Across both phases, a total of 28 operational search days were recorded, during which approximately 7,571 square kilometres of seabed were surveyed.
Ocean Infinity also indicated that additional survey activities had been carried out within the wider search zone prior to the formal agreement being signed in March 2025.
Weather Disruptions During Search
The AAIB noted that the search operations faced intermittent disruptions due to adverse weather and challenging sea conditions in the region.
Phase two of the mission officially concluded on January 23 this year.
“As of this update, the search activities undertaken have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage,” the bureau said in a statement.
Government Continues Engagement With Families
Authorities reiterated that the government remains committed to keeping the families of those on board informed about developments and will continue providing updates when available.
The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.
The aircraft vanished from radar on March 8, 2014, while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.
Despite one of the largest search operations in aviation history — involving Malaysia, Australia, and China — the main wreckage has never been located.
Over the years, several pieces of aircraft debris confirmed or believed to be from the missing plane have washed ashore along coastlines in the western Indian Ocean
