Relatives of MH370 passengers welcomed the Malaysian government’s approval of the new search.
“I’m very happy with this news… It’s like the best Christmas present ever,” Jaquita Gonzalez, wife of flight MH370 pilot Patrick Gomez, told the New Straits Times.
“This announcement evokes mixed emotions – hope, gratitude and sadness. After almost 11 years, the uncertainty and pain of not having answers has been incredibly difficult for us,” Intan Myzura Otaman also told the newspaper. Her husband, Mohd Hazreen Mohammed Hasnan, was a crew member.
Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, told the Reuters news agency that the Malaysian government should have a “more open approach” to the search to allow more players to take part.
In a statement, Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett called the Malaysian government’s decision “excellent news,” adding: “We look forward to sharing further updates in the new year as we finalize the details and the team is ready to go.”
Flight MH370 departed Kuala Lumpur on the morning of March 8, 2014. He lost contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff, and radar indicated he had deviated from his planned flight path.
Investigators generally agree that the plane crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean — although it’s unclear why.
Pieces of debris believed to be from the plane washed up on the Indian Ocean years after the disappearance.
There have been many conspiracy theories surrounding the plane’s disappearance, from speculation that the pilot deliberately shot down the plane to claims that it was shot down by a foreign military.
An investigation into the plane’s disappearance in 2018 found that the plane’s controls were likely deliberately manipulated to send it off course, but did not lead to a conclusion on who was behind it.
Investigators said at the time that “the answer can only be definitive when the wreckage is found.”
