12 Years Since MH370 Disappeared, Here’s The Search Update So Far
Ocean Infinity is conducting a 55-day underwater search in a targeted area of the southern Indian Ocean.
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This Sunday, 8 March, marks 12 years since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing. In 2014, MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew members aboard.
About 40 minutes after it took off, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah signed off as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace. The plane’s transponder was turned off, which meant the aircraft could not be easily tracked. It was as if the plane disappeared into thin air.
Satellite data analysis showed that MH370 most likely crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of Western Australia.
A multinational search effort between Malaysia, Australia, and China was carried out with little success. During the searches so far, more than 30 pieces of suspected aircraft debris have been found along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean. However, only three wing fragments were confirmed to be from MH370.
A 495-page report into MH370’s disappearance that was published in July 2018 said the plane’s controls were likely deliberately manipulated to take it off course. Investigators were unable to determine the responsible party.
READ MORE: Malaysia Airlines Ordered To Pay CNY2.9 Million Per Victim To Eight MH370 Families
Updates on new search
On 3 December 2025, the Malaysian government and Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics firm based in Austin, Texas, and Southampton, United Kingdom, made an agreement based on the ‘’no find, no fee’’ principle.
On 30 December 2025, Ocean Infinity, the company that had conducted previous searches, carried out a 55-day underwater search in a targeted area of the southern Indian Ocean. The Malaysian government would pay US$70 million if substantive wreckage is found.
On 15 January 2026, the search was suspended due to unfavourable weather, with all three Hugin Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) safely recovered onboard Ocean Infinity’s Armada 8605.
Based on a summary progress report for 6 to 15 January 2026, there have been no significant discoveries or conclusive findings from the searches to date.
Ocean Infinity stated the search continues. Armada 8605 is scheduled to return to Fremantle for a crew change before resuming the search.
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