Search for MH370 given new 2027 deadline as Malaysia extends hunt to cover remaining 7,000sq/km area

Malaysia's government has approved a one-year extension to its agreement with British deep-sea exploration company Ocean Infinity for the continued underwater hunt for flight MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian Cabinet reached this decision on June 26 2026, with the renewed contract running from July 1 2026 through to June 30 2027.

The arrangement preserves all existing terms, including the "no find, no fee" principle that has governed the search operation.

Under this condition, Kuala Lumpur bears no financial obligation unless the aircraft wreckage is discovered.

Should Ocean Infinity successfully locate the remains of the missing plane, the Malaysian government will pay the company $70million.

The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared in March 2014 whilst travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard, comprising 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

The vanishing of the Malaysia Airlines jet has become one of aviation's most perplexing unsolved cases.

Extensive search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean over the years have failed to locate the aircraft.

Ocean Infinity previously conducted searches for MH370 until 2018 without success.

The Texas-based firm, which operates from the United Kingdom, signed a fresh agreement with Malaysia last year to resume operations.

That contract covered an initial search zone spanning 15,000 square kilometres in the same oceanic region where investigators believe the plane went down.

The extension will enable Ocean Infinity to complete its survey of the outstanding search area, which covers 7,428.54 square kilometres.

Operations will be temporarily suspended between November 2026 and April 2027, as the company's primary search vessels must be redeployed elsewhere to fulfil other commercial commitments.

This scheduling takes advantage of the calm sea season, ensuring both safety and operational effectiveness when assets are moved.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke emphasised the significance of the continued effort in his statement announcing the extension.

"This decision is a manifestation of the government's continuous and unwavering commitment to provide a closure for the next of kin of the passengers aboard flight MH370," he said.

Those who have lost family members are still waiting for answer 12 years on.