The Malaysian government may resume the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, if companies interested in the hunt come forward with viable proposals or credible leads, transport minister Anthony Loke said on Sunday.
"If there are any credible leads or specific proposals, we are more than willing to look at them and we are prepared to discuss with them the new proposals," Loke told reporters at a Kuala Lumpur event marking the fifth year of MH370's disappearance.
"If they can convince us that the new technology can be more efficient in terms of the search, then we are more than willing to restart," he said said.
Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, became the world's greatest aviation mystery when it vanished on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
Malaysia, China and Australia called off a two-year underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean in January 2017 after finding no trace of the aircraft.
- Investigator claims MH370 was accidentally shot down by Malaysian authorities
- MH370: Mystery grows as families claim fresh debris found
A second three-month search, led by US exploration firm Ocean Infinity, ended similarly in May last year.
Malaysia was prepared to reward firms searching for MH370 under a "no-cure, no fee" agreement, meaning payment would be made only if they located the aircraft.
The government had offered Ocean Infinity over $100 million under such an agreement for its 2018 search.
Ocean Infinity has expressed interest in another search, citing new technology developed in the past year, but had not yet put forward a fresh proposal, according Malaysian authorities.
Reuters/Newshub.
