The Malaysian government has confirmed that the search for the missing MH370 passenger jet which vanished more than 10 years ago will resume.
The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 after departing Kuala Lumpur with 239 people onboard.
Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke said the cabinet approved in principle a $70m (£56m) deal with US-based marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity to find the aircraft.
The deal will operate on a “no find, no fee” agreement, meaning the company will only get paid if and when the wreckage is found.
Mr Loke said negotiations with the company were ongoing and would be finalised in early 2025.
A key negotiating point is the definition of the wreckage size, he added.
“It’s not just about finding one or two pieces [that will be] considered wreckage,” he said.
The new search will take place in a 15,000 sq km patch in the southern Indian Ocean and is based on new data that Kuala Lumpur found to be “credible”, the minister said.
“They have informed us that the best time for searching is between January and April,” he said.
“We are trying to finalise the contract as soon as possible. They have committed that the search will begin once the contract is signed.”
Read more: What happened to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370? Five theories evaluated
It is hoped that finding the wreckage would give closure to the hundreds of families of those onboard who remain haunted by the tragedy.
“We hope this time will be positive,” said Mr Loke.
Jacquita Gonzales, the wife of MH370 inflight supervisor, Patrick Gomes, told the New Straits Times: “I am so happy for the news… feels like the best Christmas present ever.”
Numerous efforts to locate the wreckage have ended in disappointment over the past decade, including a 2018 search by Ocean Infinity which ceased after three months.
A multinational attempt also ended in 2017 after two years of searching vast swathes of ocean.
Conspiracy theories abound about the fate of the aircraft, with unsubstantiated claims that the plane was shot down by a foreign military and speculation that the pilot deliberately brought down the aircraft.
A 2018 investigation concluded that the truth behind the plane “can only be conclusive if the wreckage is found”.