The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains one of the most baffling aviation mysteries in modern history. Nearly ten years later, the world still seeks answers about what happened to the 239 people on board.
The Boeing 777 vanished on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite extensive search efforts over the years, no conclusive wreckage has been found, and investigators continue to speculate about the plane’s fate.
As new search efforts begin, multiple theories about MH370’s disappearance continue to circulate, ranging from hijacking to pilot involvement and even military interception.
Renewed Search for MH370
A decade after the disappearance, a new search mission is set to begin in a different area of the southern Indian Ocean.
A Southampton-based marine robotics firm, Ocean Infinity, has announced plans to resume the search, with support from the Malaysian government. This comes after the company’s previous attempt ended in 2018 without success.
Malaysia’s Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, stated that if Ocean Infinity successfully locates substantial wreckage, it will receive a $70 million (£56 million) reward.
“Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin,” Loke said. “We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families.”
Theories Behind MH370’s Disappearance
Over the years, several theories have emerged, attempting to explain what might have happened to MH370. Some theories focus on technical failures, while others suggest deliberate actions.
Theory 1: Hijacking
One of the most controversial theories suggests that MH370 was hijacked as part of an act of war. This idea gained traction following the Netflix 2023 documentary, MH370: The Plane That Disappeared.
Aviation journalist Jeff Wise speculated that MH370 might have been hijacked by international spies who gained access to the aircraft’s electronic systems. Wise suggested that the hijackers may have taken control of the plane remotely using the electronics bay located beneath the cockpit.
Supporters of this theory draw parallels to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which was shot down by Russian-backed forces over Ukraine on July 17, 2014. Some believe that the two incidents are connected, though no direct evidence has been found.
Theory 2: Pilot Involvement
Another widely discussed theory suggests that MH370’s pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, deliberately crashed the plane.
Some experts believe that instead of following the planned route to Beijing, Shah turned the aircraft south, allowing it to fly until it ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean.
While initial investigations found no clear motive for such an action, some have suggested that Shah deliberately planned the crash as a suicidal act. However, others, including Jeff Wise, later rejected this theory in favor of hijacking.
Theory 3: Military Interception
A third theory, presented by French journalist Florence de Changy, suggests that MH370 was intercepted by NATO or the U.S. military.
De Changy’s theory, also discussed in the Netflix documentary, suggests that U.S. Air Force planes carrying AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) may have jammed the aircraft’s communication systems.
According to this theory, the U.S. military may have suspected that MH370 was carrying sensitive or dangerous cargo, leading them to intercept the plane. De Changy argues that the plane’s disappearance was a cover-up, and that key information has been withheld from the public.
Unanswered Questions and Calls for Transparency
Despite years of investigations, MH370’s fate remains unknown, and families of the victims continue to demand answers.
Documentary producer Harry Hewland summed up the public’s frustration, stating:
“More than anything, we want to pull the hidden truths about MH370 out from the carpet under which they’ve been swept. This is still a story with no ending, a mystery that hasn’t been solved. Somebody out there knows more than the world has been told.”
With a new search mission on the horizon, the world waits to see if this will finally bring closure to one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.