THE latest search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will end next week, the country’s new transport minister said.
Malaysia signed a “no cure, no fee” agreement with Texas-based Ocean Infinity in January to resume the hunt for the plane, a year after the official search in the southern Indian Ocean by Australia, Malaysia and China was called off.
Transport minister Anthony Loke said that the search was due to end in April but was extended twice until May 29 at the firm’s request.
He said the government will decide its next course of action next week.
The Malaysia Airlines plane vanished on March 8 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. The search has not turned up anything that could shed light on one of the world’s biggest aviation mysteries.
Loke said: “There will be no more extensions. It cannot continue forever. Let’s wait until May 29 and we will then decide how to proceed.”
Under the deal, the government would pay Ocean Infinity up to $70 million based on the size of the area searched if the mission was successful within three months.
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